The Man and The Wolf
by AshrielWolfLona
Summary: For as long as he remembered, Lyall Swan has been alone. Separated from his Twin Emma when only a baby, only reunited at age 26, his biggest hope is to find a family. So when Henry Mills came knocking on the door of his sister's apartment, Lyall is thrust into a world of curses and magic. It could be worse, had the beautiful she-wolf know as Ruby not entered his life.
1. Chapter 1

**urge to do this for a few weeks now, so yeah, spastic updates ahead. (I have too many stories XD)**

| Third Person |

With a loud thump, Lyall watched smugly as his client hit the floor harshly. The teen groaned, body slumped in defeat. Adam propped himself on his elbows panting heavily; with another groan he shakily stood and waved a hand, "'ight, 'ight, stop. Can-do no more." Stretching, Adam crack his back before eyeing Lyall up and down, "How do 'ou stay so fit?"

Lyall laughed, walking over to a nearby towel, "Because I do." He smiled at Adam, "Same time in a few days?" He asked lightly.

Adam moaned sadly, but nodded nonetheless. Satisfied, Lyall motioned Adam to follow him, "Good, now come on, we need to head to the showers."

The two stepped into separate showers, and when Lyall moved under the hot running water. It rolled over his shoulders, relaxing and soothing his aching muscles. Rubbing his hair in exhaustion, Lyall sighed. His thoughts strayed, and a frown graced his features. Emma wouldn't get home till seven, and her 'date' needed to be turned in. So much for a happy birthday. Glancing at his watch, the time read 6:00p.m. An hour to kill.

Stepping out the shower, Lyall reached for his clothes. He quickly slipped into the warm clothes, before clipping on his wolf pendant. It was the only thing he had from his parents, aside from his blanket. Adjusting the beanie on his head so it covered his ears, Lyall slipped into the main hallway. Adam was waiting by the counter, awkwardly glancing at Stacy.

Stacy was bleach blonde with scantily clothes. She obnoxiously popped her gum, smiling lustfully at Adam. Coughing harshly, Lyall glared at her, "Mrs. Richards, please wait for your husband over _there." She_ pouted, looking Lyall up and down before slinking away with an obvious sway to her hips. Rolling his eyes, Lyall turned to Adam. "You alright?"

Adam laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, I'm good" he said.

Lyall smiled, before holding his hand out. Adam flushed, as though he'd forgotten, before taken forty dollars from his pocket. Lyall glanced it over, but he knew that all of it was there. He pocketed his money in his wallet, before inclining his head to Adam. The teen grinned before wishing his a good night and birthday; Adam then hurriedly left.

With a tired sigh, Lyall strode out of the gym and towards his car. Opening the door, Lyall tossed his stuff into the back before sliding in the drivers seat. He quickly turned the car on, and with a small smile drove off to the apartment he shared with his twin.

 ** _Flashback_**

A shrill scream echoed through the castle, and Charming winced as Snow White tightly gripped his hand. Her head tossed back roughly, and her legs shook with the effort. Doc quickly rushed her, pained eyes intently focused on the child being birthed.

There was a lull in her contractions, and Snow panted, head leaned up on Charming, "I can't...have this baby, now." Her voice was strained.

Charming shushed her, "It's ok."

Gepetto rushed in, "The a wardrobe, it's uh ready." His eyes adverted the intent gaze of the couple, almost ashamed.

Relief flooded Charming's face, and he moved to pick up Snow when Doc stopped him, "No! You can't! It's too late." The dwarf's face was sad, and lines tightened around his eyes when Snow let out another heart wrenching scream.

There was a pause, before the wails of a child echoed the room. Charming smiled, watching as his little girl was gently taken from beneath the covers and wrapped in a blanket. Before he could take her, another scream tore from Snow's throat, making the prince snap his gaze to her in fear. "What's happening?!"

"Oh gods..." Doc breathed, setting down Emma and gripping Snow's legs. He looked at her face with wide eyes "Keep pushing!" He ordered.

Snow did as she was told, and not even to minutes later, another cry was heard. Softer this time, and the royals watched in awe as Doc softly held another child, a boy, in his arms. "I-I don't-" Snow stuttered.

"Twins." Charming breathed in awe. He reached out for one of the other baby blankets they made, and handed to Doc. The dwarf wrapped the surprise child in the blanket, before handing one child to each parent. Prince Charming held his son gently, staring in vibrant blue eyes. The child sniffed, reaching out and gripping one of the Prince's fingers in his small hand.

"The wardrobe only takes two.." Snow muttered, devastated.

Charming fought back his tears, before reaching around his neck for the pendant Red gave him. With shaking fingers, he gently tied a knot in the string before slipping it over his son's head. "He needs a name, Snow."

The mother sobbed, before looking away from her little girl. Upon seeing the taken expression in her husbands face, she murmured, "You pick it. I already picked Emma."

Gulping back the sob tearing at his throat, Charming whispered, "Lyall."

Before Snow could answer, the sounds of shouting and the clashing of metal reached their ears. Snow looked at her children, heart squeezing painfully, "They have to go, alone. Th-There's n-no oth-other way."

Charming looked at her horrified, "No I'm not-"

"We have to have faith that they'll find us. Emma will break the curse, and Lyall with guide her."

Charming nodded, before reaching for a small cloth. It was embroidered with the name 'Lyall' on it, and he sheepishly admitted to having Granny make it. Snow smiled through her tears, before watching heartbroken as he true love darted through the doors with both children. How he held a sword at the same time didn't bother her, but the way her surprise son kept his eyes on her did.

With a broken wail, Snow turned and sobbed into the pillow, rage at her step-mother coursing through her veins.

It wasn't until she collapsed next to her husband on the ground, his blood soaking her nightgown, and the wardrobe empty, but no children to be found that she smiled smugly at the Evil Queen. "You'll lose, I know that now."

"It won't matter." The Queen said evilly.

"Where are you taking us?" Snow demanded as the curse tore through her castle.

"Somewhere horrible," Regina started victoriously, "Somewhere where the only happy ending, will be mine."

 **End of Flashback**

"There she is!" Lyall cheered as Emma walked through the door, struggling to take off her heels.

Emma huffed, walking into the apartment with a fond smile on her face. She peered curiously at the plain paper bags, before asking, "What'cha got there?"

Grin turning soft, Lyall pulled out two birthday cupcakes. Both vanilla, and both with a blue star candle placed on top. He reached over and lit both. In unison, Emma and Lyall leaned to look eye level at the treats. "Another banner year." Emma said, voice disheartened.

"Don't let that get you down, Ems." Lyall said. "Now make a wish."

They both closed their eyes, wishing for the same thing-family.

Just then, the door bell rang. The twins started, looking at each other in surprise. Lyall pursed his lips, and then walked to the door. Opening it, he noticed a small boy-maybe ten-standing there expectantly. Raising an eyebrow, Lyall looked him over in confusion. He noticed faintly they shared the same confused look. "Uh," Lyall started, "Can I help you?"

"Does Emma Swan live here?" The boy asked.

Lyall narrowed his eyes. "Who's asking?"

A smug, impish, smile lit up the boys face. "My name's Henry, I'm her son." In the kitchen, Emma choked on her soda, coughing weakly and looking at her brother in shock.

Henry leaned in, grin growing wider. He brushed past Lyall, forcing the male out of his shock. "Whoa! Hey kid! Kid! Kid! Ems don't have a son, where the hell are your parents?" Lyall asked, shutting the door and hurrying after Henry.

Henry rolled his eyes, turning to Emma. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby boy for adoption?" AT the conflicted look in her eyes, Henry said "That was me."

Emma gulped, "Give me a minute" she muttered, before striding quickly into the bathroom.

There was a moment of silence-though, not uncomfortable-till Henry turned to Lyall, "Soooooo, are you my da-"

"No!" Lyall blurted, "I'm-I'm your uncle."

Henry nodded before glancing around, "Do you have any juice?"

Lyall scratched the nape of his neck, moving towards the fridge, "Yeah, here." Lyall reached in to grab the bottle, closing the door and handing Henry the bottle. Without hesitation, Henry twisted off the lid and started to drink. The action brought a grin to Lyall's face. The action was something Emma would do.

The bathroom door opened, and Emma walked out. Henry stopped drinking. "You know, we should probably get going."

"Going where?" Emma asked.

"I want you two to come home with me."

"Okay kid, I'm calling the cops." Emma muttered, moving to the phone.

Lyall opened his mouth to protest, but Henry beat him to the punch, "Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." He countered.

Lyall smirked, "And they'll believe you 'cause she's your birth mother."

"Yep."

Emma narrowed her eyes, "You won't do that."

"Try me." Challenged Henry. Lyall's smirk grew, this kid had guts.

Emma squatted down, staring into Henry's eyes. "You're pretty good. There isn't a lot in good at in life, but there is one thing. I call it a superpower. I can tell when someone is lying...and you kid: are." She stood, not noticing the way Henry's face fell, and moved to the phone again.

"Wait!" Henry cried, making Emma pause, "Please come home with me." He begged.

Emma sighed, glancing at Henry. Lyall raised his eyebrows in surprise when Emma gave in, eyes softening in a way he had never seen-not even for Lyall himself. The look caused a stab of pain to pierce his heart. Lyall never got that look from a parent figure, but Emma had once, Burying those thoughts, Lyall asked, "And where is...home?"

Emma shot him a looked, but the way Henry brightened melted Lyall's heart, "Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma rose a incredulous brow, "Storybrooke?" She asked.

Henry nodded. Lyall sighed. "Storybrooke it is. Separate cars Em. I refuse to ride in your itty bitty bug."

Emma glared at Lyall good naturedly. Then with a sigh, grabbed her car keys. "Alrighty then, lets get you to Storybrooke."

* * *

Maybe four hours later, Emma and Lyall pulled into town separately. Lyall is his muscle car and Emma with Henry in her little bug. Lyall pulled out his phone, dialing up his sister. "Something wrong?" Emma asked when she picked up.

Lyall chuckled, "Nothing Emma, but I'm hungry and I saw this cute little diner pulling in so I figured I'd check it out while you bring the kid home." Over the line, Lyall heard Henry protest to the official nickname he and Emma had randomly shared.

"Sure." Emma said.

"And maybe book us a night?" Lyall rushed. He knew his sister would want to leave, but Lyall found himself willing to hear out Henry on his wild theory that he told the twins on the way here-Lyall threw speaker phone. Emma sighed and before she could protest, Lyall started to speak, "Come one Ems, it late, we're tired. It's been an emotional day, don't even try to deny it. Just a night for now." He pleaded.

"Alright, alright." Emma mutter. Lyall grinned, already turning his wheel to do a one-eighty. He chuckled when Henry started to babble about operation cobra, and plans about the curse.

Smiling softly to himself, Lyall thank his sister before hanging up. It took only about a minute to pull up to the diner he saw, and Lyall paused to eye the cute little ice cream shop next to it. If they stayed, he would have to check the place out. He locked his car, frowning to himself when the townsfolk stopped to openly stared at him in surprise.

Not used to the attention, Lyall slipped into the diner when someone was leaving-an older gentlemen with hair on the sides of his head long since faded to white, and gentle eyes filled with buried pain-and quickly took a seat in one of the corner booths. A waitress came up, not looking up from the notepad in her hands, "What can I get you?" He voice was soft, and Lyall fiddled with his sleeve without glancing twice at her.

"Water and a Doctor Pepper please."

She hummed and jotted it down, hurrying over to another booth. Lyall rubbed his eyes, suddenly very tired. With that kid showing up, Lyall idly wondered if his dad would too. Lyall snorted. That guy would get a punch to the face first. Two cups were set down in front of him, and Lyall absent-mindedly placed a straw in one before pulling it his lips. "So..." The waitress started, "You're new?"

Lyall looked up in mild surprise. The waitress was very beautiful. Pulling back from his straw, Lyall quickly glanced her up and down, before letting a small grin pull lips up, and then he briefly puckered them in thought.. Brown haired and brown eyed, the red highlights did wonders to her features. Ruby painted lips quirked into a flirty smile, and Lyall realized that it didn't fit her face. It was faked, but not. Like her personality wasn't hers and instead was shoved into her mind like a plastic doll brought to life. Not unlike the way Henry described the cursed people.

Brushing it off, Lyall leaned onto his arms, "The name's Lyall."

"Lyall huh?" She tilted her head and popped her hip out, "Doesn't that mean 'Wolf?'"

"Yeah why?"

"The Wolf is my favorite animal."

"Mine as well."

"I'm Ruby."

Lyall smiled, not the flirty one he had been sporting, "Well Ruby, it nice meeting you." And as she smiled almost shyly back, Lyall realized that she looked more real than she did in the short skirt and tight shirt. And while with some women he would be all for it, on Ruby it looked wrong. It was then Lyall decided, smiling at the waitress, that he would stay, 'cause something about this town set his teeth on edge.


	2. Chapter 2

| Third Person |

Lyall cracked his back, grimacing as he did so. He had talked to Emma, telling her he was gonna stay in town for a while. She was honestly shocked, but decided to let him be-which was suspicious on it's own-and left for Boston. Lyall, disappointed, headed to the Inn Ruby told him about. It was her Granny's, and the place was supposed to be nice. Which was what led him here. He stared up at the Inn, exhausted. Digging into his pockets for his wallet, Lyall trudged up the steps, humming to himself.

He pushed open the door, looking around curiously. It had a homey feel, with soft tones. However, the peaceful atmosphere was disturbed by the eerie cobwebs hovering around in corners and on lights. Shifting his feet nervously, Lyall approached the counter, looking around for Granny. Seeing no one, he blew out a breathe and rang the small bell on the counter.

There was a minute of silence, in which Lyall dug out some cash-they didn't take credit cards it seemed-before once again checking out the area. His attention was drawn to a crossbow hanging on the wall, and he reached out touch it with gentle fingertips. Just as he was about to touch the string, Granny's voice came out from behind him, "You like it?"

Lyall jumped, whirling around to find an amused Granny and Ruby. He sheepishly smiled, "Sorry. But, uh, yeah. It's pretty cool." He briefly eyed Ruby, who wore short shorts and a long sleeved shirt. He turned back to Granny, moving forward. "I was hoping to rent a room?"

"Oh!" Granny exclaimed in surprise, "Of course!" She hurried behind the counter, and Ruby backed up so she leaned against a nearby wall.

Lyall, against his will, couldn't help but cast an appreciative look to her long legs. He quickly caught himself, moving to leaned his arms on top of the counter. Granny gave him an impressed look, as if catching himself from staring at Ruby was a big feat. He mumbled a soft sorry, watching as the older women pulled out a large book. She dropped on the counter, a large dust plume springing up after it. Lyall coughed as Granny opened it to a page. She looked up at him with a smile, "So how long will you be staying?"

Lyall thought for a moment. "As of right now? Indefinitely I suppose. I don't when I'll be leaving so..."

The old women nodded, "Of course. Now would you like a square view of forest view? Square cost more, but you can see the whole town from there."

Lyall smiled, "Square it is than. So how much?"

Granny jotted down his room, not looking up as she answered. "That'll be $60.00, and that's for today. Rent would be $40.00 every night."

Lyall raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, as a normal hotel usually cost more. Pulling out $100 he handed it to Granny, "For tonight and tomorrow night."

She smiled kindly at him. "Thank you." Turning to her Grand-daughter, she said, "Why don't you take Mr...?"

Lyall laughed slightly, "Swan, Lyall Swan."

Granny nodded, "Mr. Swan to his room?" She reached out a took a key with the number 125 on it and gave it to Ruby.

The brunette sighed, but nodded. She smiled flirtatiously at Lyall who gave a friendly one in return before motioning him to follow. Lyall nodded to Granny as he passed, but otherwise said nothing to the older women. Turning forward, Lyall watched in amusement as Ruby hummed and hopped up the stairs. His eyes once more drifted, but Lyall quickly caught himself before he did something stupid.

Ruby spoke up, now heading down the hallway, "So what brings you here?" She stopped in front of a door, and eyed him in confusion, "I mean, this isn't an interesting town really."

Lyall chuckled a bit, "I uh, I don't know about that." He grinned at Ruby, taking the time to notice how pretty she was. Then he shrugged, "Far more interesting than where I've lived I can tell you."

Ruby stopped in front of a door, and leaned against it, eyes bright as she asked, "More interesting? Yeah sure, cutie."

Lyall smirked, and grinned in slight embarrassment, "Cutie?" He asked, startled. He had been called many things, and 'cutie' wasn't one of them. His grin widened as Ruby grinned right back at him.

"Well of course," She said in light teasing voice, "With eyes like yours? Definitely cute, if not more."

Lyall threw his head back and laughed. "My eyes?" He asked raising a hand to cover his mouth and he looked at girl. He had definitely not been complimented on his eyes before.

Ruby nodded back, just as amused, "Bright cerulean eyes, like in fanfiction."

Lyall doubled over, tears springing to his eyes, "Fan-Fanfiction b-blue eyes!" He choked out, before looking back at the brunette. Standing back up he wiped his eyes, unable to remove the silly grin he had on his face. "That's uh, that is the first time someone has said that to me."

Ruby gave him a slightly surprised look, "Seriously? I mean I am sure they haven't said fanfiction blue or cerulean blue, but you have amazing eyes, Lyall."

Lyall's grin got wider and he shuffled his foot, "Well, uh thanks, I mean it."

Ruby shook her head fondly, and then pushed herself from the wall. She then motioned to the door in front of her. "Well, this is it." She turned and walked past him, brushing a hand against his shoulder in a classic flirty move as she did. Ruby turned and smirked at him over her shoulder, "Enjoy your stay in Storybrooke."

Lyall nodded at her, "Will do."

Ruby walked away, swaying her hips. Lyall watched her as she did, grin falling. Something was wrong with this town, and it set his nerve endings on edge. Shaking his head, Lyall opened the door to his room with a smile.

If only he knew what his presence would cause

* * *

When Lyall woke up, it was too the sound of his phone ringing. Grumbling in annoyance, Lyall blindly reached over, eyes closed. His hand closed over the phone and groggily he answered it. "He'o?" He asked, words slurring.

There was a pause, then: "Is this Lyall Swan?" The voice was male, and his tone meant business.

Lyall straightened up instantly, suddenly wide awake and worried. "Yes, this is he. Who's asking?"

There was a sigh, a static briefly rushed through the phone, "I'm sorry about this, but your sister, Emma?, she's here in my station."

Lyall jumped out of bed, and rushed towards his duffle and quickly grabbed a fresh pair of jeans and another shirt. "Is Emma okay?" Lyall demanded, worry seeping into his tone. Without looking at the shoes he grabbed, Lyall stuffed his feet in, not bothering with socks.

The man on the other end gave another sigh, "She's fine, a little bruised but fine."

Lyall grabbed his wallet and phone, stuffing them into his pants before opening the door to his motel. He was surprised to see Ruby on the other side, hand poised to knock. Eyes wide, Lyall fought down his blush as he said to the person on the phone: "I'll be at the station in a few minutes. She is in Storybrooke still right?"

Ruby gave him a confused look, but Lyall didn't notice, to busy listening to the man on the other side of his phone say "Yeah, glad your still near, she is still sleeping actually."

"Good. I'll be there soon to bail her out." Lyall said, before pulling the phone from his ear and hanging up. He visibly sagged against the door, and sighed shakily. Ruby bit her lip and stepped forward, placing her hand on his arm.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, brown eyes peering into green with worry.

Lyall reached up and placed his head in his hands, "Emma got arrested for something. Maybe she crashed? God, I don't know."

Ruby sighed, and then pulled Lyall's hand from his face. "I'm sure she's fine. Emma is your...?" Her voice trailed, and suddenly she looked hesitant, as though she thought Lyall and Emma where something else.

"Sister!" Lyall cried, a flush building on his face, "Crap, you are the second person to say that to me."

Ruby giggled, and then looped her arm with his. "Well, cutie, I am going with you to bail out your sister."

Lyall gave her a surprised look, "Really? You don't have to do that you know."

Ruby shrugged, "I want to."

Lyall laughed, "Alright, Red, come with me." He walked forward, closing the door behind him and feeling infinitely better and not realizing Ruby hadn't moved. When he did, he stopped and turned to find that her face had gone blank, and her eyes glazed. Concerned, he moved back in front of the woman, and snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Nothing.

Growing worried, Lyall asked her, "Ruby, Ruby? Ruby! What's wrong!" He reached up and touched her. As if coming from a horrible memory, Ruby reached up and slapped Lyall, like she was seeing someone else. "Ow! Damnit!" Lyall cursed.

"Oh My God! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-Oh God I am so sorry Lyall!" Ruby cried reaching up and trying to look at the red print on his cheek.

Lyall waved her off. "It's nothing. Let's just-uh. Let's go." Lyall hurried down the hall, a guilty Ruby following.

* * *

When they walked through the doors to the Sheriff station-Ruby had given directions-it was too a dark haired women arguing with Lyall's sister.

"Do you know where he is?" She demanded angrily.

Emma sighed, "Lady I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your place," She smirked at the dark haired women, "And I kinda have a good alibi."

The lady scoffed, "Well he wasn't in his room this morning."

Lyall caught Emma's eye as she said, "Did you try his friends?"

The women huffed, "Well he doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."

Lyall bit his lip and moved forward, ignoring the way his chest ached at the thought a child had no friends. "Every kid has friends. Did you check this kids computer?" He said stuffing his hands into his jeans. Ruby came up beside him, and Lyall scowled when Emma rose an eyebrow at him.

The women whirled around eyes hard. She was the same height as Emma, with short wavy black hair, and deep chocolate eyes. She had pale skin and was wearing a grey business suit. Her lips were painted pinkish red, not unlike Ruby's. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly demanded, "And who the hell are you?" Her eyes slid to Ruby and narrowed further, "Miss. Lucas what are you doing here?"

Lyall frowned, "She came with me to bail out my sister. The blonde in the red jacket. The name's Lyall, by the way."

The women eyed him differently now, as though he were a threat to be taken out, "You're Henry's Uncle?"

Lyall gave the women another look, "I take it you're his Mom?"

She sniffed, "And the Mayor."

Lyall moved so he stood in front of the women, Ruby close behind, "Well does this...esteemed Mayor, have a name?" His tone was slightly sarcastic, and he could see from the corner of his eye both Ruby and the Sheriff go wide eyed.

The Mayor lifted her head haughtily, and peered down her nose at Lyall, "Regina Mills."

"Well Miss. Mills, if you need help finding Henry," He paused and then amended, "That is, if Henry is the one you're looking for. Emma and I can help you. Did you try his email?"

She crossed her arms and eyed both Emma and Lyall, "You know this how?"

Emma scowled right back at Regina, "Finding people is what we do, plus Lyall being a gym trainer, but that's another thing." She grinned now, "I have an idea. How about you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him." She gave the Sheriff a slightly hopeful look.

There was a moment of silence before the Sheriff shrugged and moved forward to let out Emma. The Mayor gave him a disbelieving look, then shook her head ad turned to leave. Lyall turned to Ruby, a sheepish smile in place. "Looks like Em is fine, so I'll see you later Red." Lyall told her.

Ruby faltered, and Lyall noticed the Mayor snap her head to look wide eyed at Lyall. "Why did you call me Red?" Ruby asked, as if digging for something out of reach.

Lyall shrugged, "Uh, your hair really. And you wear a lot of Red I suppose. It just suits you."

Ruby hummed before giving the man a bright smile, "Alright I'll see you later." She turned and strolled out, walking past Regina and not noticing the look Regina was giving her. Lyall however, did, and made a mental note to ask Henry who the Mayor was in the book.

Lyall turned to Emma, "I'll go sniff him out the old fashioned way, you, The Sheriff, and Miss. Mills track him down the other way." Emma nodded, so Lyall turned to the Mayor, "How many Elementary schools are there? Or is he in Middle School?"

"Elementary and only one." Regina answered.

Lyall breathed deeply and then pursed his lips. "Got it." Spinning on his heel, Lyall hurried out. He had a school to go to.

* * *

Lyall peered into the room that the school office told him Henry was apart of. The teacher was quietly watching over the kids as they constructed what looked like a birdhouse. Her eyes found his, and Lyall froze hand raised to knock on the wood. The woman walked to him, a warm smile on her face, and when she was close enough, quietly asked, "Hello, can I help you?"

Lyall blinked, startled to find he and the women shared similar noses and smiles. "Uh yeah," He started awkwardly, "Have you seen henry Mills today? We're looking for him. I'm uh, Lyall by the way, Lyall Swan."

The woman grinned, "Mary-Margaret Blanchard. And no I thought he was with his Mom home sick."

Lyall frowned, "Do you have any idea where he might be? Me and my sister are looking for him to help the Mayor," Lyall scowled and muttered, "Though she doesn't like it."

"Why wouldn't they Mayor like it?" Mary-Margaret asked.

Lyall flushed, "Did I say that out loud?"

She giggled, "You did." She confirmed.

Lyall sighed, "Emma, my sister, is his birth Mom. Henry came and found us not that long ago, just yesterday in fact."

Mary-Margaret nodded with a hum, "I suppose I know where he might be. He's got this castle he sits in, down by the beach line. Just head to the docks and take a left. Keep walking till you see it."

Lyall gave her a wide grin, "Thank you so much Miss. Blanchard."

Mary-Margaret waved him off, "It's Mary-Margaret, and no problem. You seem pretty trust worthy." She leaned forward to faux whisper "I am a pretty good judge of character."

Lyall winked 'secretly' and then turned and headed off again. The nerve grinding feeling increased ten fold. It was then Lyall knew he had to talk to Henry. Something just wasn't right.

* * *

Lyall leaned against the feeble wood of Henry's castle, watching the clock in the distance. It was stuck on 8:15, and just by looking at the poor kid Lyall could tell Henry was disappointed. "You know," Lyall started, "You might be right about one thing kid. This place gives me the chills."

"It's the Curse." Henry insisted, "None of them remember who they are, who they love." He sunk into the wood, eyes sad. "I thought by bringing Emma here, time would start again, the Final battle would begin." Henry turned to Lyall eyes bright, "But nothing's changed."

Lyall gave him a sad look, "Kid, look. I know something's is definitely up with this place. I mean just this morning Ruby had some weird freak out-"

"She did?" Henry asked, suddenly very interested.

"I called her Red and she just blanked. When I finally snapped her out of it, she uh, slapped me." Lyall told his nephew, a bit awkwardly.

Henry grinned from ear to ear, "You did something! Red is who Ruby really is. Like Red Riding Hood!"

"Seriously?" Lyall asked, reaching up absent mindedly to fiddle with his Wolf Pendant, "I didn't peg her for the type to travel around in Dark Forests without some kind of protection."

Henry shrugged, "The stories are a lot different from the truth."

Lyall hummed, "Look kid, I gotta take you back, you know that right?"

Henry leaped up a grasped his hand desperately, "No! Don't take me back there! My life sucks!"

Lyall squatted down, "Kid I am sure that isn't true. No matter what she does The Mayor does care about you. Trust me when I say your life doesn't suck."

Henry glared at him, "How would you know!?"

"You know what sucks? Living with a family who didn't want you and wasn't afraid to show it." Green eyes blazing, Lyall plowed on, "Now I never told Em this, but this family hated my guts cause they were forced to take me in."

Henry faltered, "You-You weren't with Emma the whole time?"

Lyall sighed, "Kid, I got the short end of the stick. People don't want twins, and they generally like girls more. I wasn't adopted till I was four, and I was stuck with those people till I was six. It wasn't fun, Henry."

Henry looked down, slightly ashamed.

Lyall stood, "Come on, I'm sure your Mom is worried. Emma is looking for you to." Lyall hesitated as he glanced at the disappointed child standing in front of him. Shaking his head, Lyall nudged Henry to get moving, and together they walked to the town. "For the record," He started, not looking at Henry as the boy looked up to him, "I believe your Curse theory. Nothing seems right in this town."

If Henry took a brighter shine to Lyall, and the Mayor hated him even more, Lyall Swan took no notice. Instead he made his way back to the Inn, well aware Emma was following.

* * *

"I'd like a room." Emma was saying to Granny as Ruby and Lyall watched quietly.

"Really? That's wonderful! Square or Garden? Normally Square cost more but tonight is rent so I'll wave it off." Granny said, taking out the log book.

Lyall gave Granny a look of mock-offense, "What? She gets a discount and I don't?"

Granny chuckled, "Sorry dear." She turned back to Emma, "And what's the name?"

"Swan, Emma Swan."

Granny rose an eyebrow, "Why you introduce yourselves the exact same way." Granny shook her head, "Lyall and Emma."

"Emma?" A new voice asked curiously.

Next to him, Lyall felt Ruby grow tense, and watched through curious eyes as Granny went from cheerful to serious. Emma turned to look at the man who had walked in. He was a slightly older gentleman, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was short, and had cane that he leaned against. Emma frowned, and watched as Granny quickly hand over a roll of money.

"Emma," He said again, "What a lovely name." And then turned to walk out the door. As he did so, he caught sight of Lyall who narrowed his eyes. "And you are?" He asked politely.

"Lyall Swan." Lyall said, eyes hard as he gazed at the man. There was something about the man that gave him the chills.

"Welcome to Storybrooke Mr and Miss. Swan." He welcomed, before turning and walking out.

"Who was that?" Emma asked.

"Mr. Gold." Ruby piped up, voice wary. Her eyes were trained on the door, "He owns the place."

"The Inn?" Lyall asked.

"No," Ruby told him gravely, and turned to look at him. "The town."

Lyall nodded. and didn't say anything until Emma went upstairs. Today had be an interesting day.

* * *

It wasn't until he got to his room that he noticed the clock had moved.


	3. Chapter 3

(Note. Season 1 of OUAT is set starting on October 22 which is supposed to be Emma's Birthday, It aired in 2011. This would put SPN in the beginning of S7. The episode relevant would be 'Shut up Dr. Phil' for SPN. And do ya'll now how much time this took XD? Watching the episodes is going to be a bitch)

Chapter 3: The Thing You Love Most

Lyall awoke to the sound of a bell chiming. Groaning to himself, he shifted, and reached out a hand to turn off his alarm. When he found nothing, his eyes shot open, and he bolted upright. It took a moment to assess his surroundings, and when he finally did, he relaxed. Stroybrooke, right. He had almost forgotten. Cracking his neck, Lyall reached for his phone; upon seeing a new voicemail, his eyebrows rose. It wasn't often that they called. In fact, the last time had been a warning about Cass going AWOL.

Shaking his head, Lyall placed the phone on his nightstand, and then stood up.

He approached his duffel, thinking about all that had happened. Leaning down to tug his duffel onto the ledge of the window, Lyall froze. The clocktower was moving. "Holy Hell." Lyall breathed. It was obvious now that Henry was right. Lyall had seen a lot of shit as a Hunter, so really, a cursed town wasn't that far-fetched really.

Reaching into th3e duffel, he swiftly pulled out a gray long sleeved shirt, and a red flannel. Followed was his brown leather jacket and thick blue jeans. Lyall tugged his clothes on in record time, and while reaching for his socks, made sure his necklace was in place. The socks and boots were pulled on, and Lyall reached for his wallet and keys. When he had all he needed, Lyall grabbed the phone.

He was about to open it when he heard a familiar voice outside the hall.

"Did you know the honey crisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees?" Regina's voice flowed through Lyall's ears. He had of course heard the knock and the door but had not thought it was her.

"Dumbass," Lyall muttered to himself, "Trust your gut next time." He swiftly approached his door, opening it just as Regina spoke again.

"It can survive temperatures as low as 40 below and keep growing. It can whether any storm."

Lyall could see Emma's eyes were narrowed, her lips slightly pursed. Regina chuckled a bit, twisting to turn and view both of us. "I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl, and to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers." Regina held an apple out to Emma.

A slightly incredulous smile on her face, Emma took it. "Thanks." She said awkwardly.

Breathing deep, Regina held out the basket, "I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home." She glanced at Lyall, "Both of you."

"Actually," Lyall cut in, "I'm staying for a while, and, uh," he laughed a bit, "I've never been a big fan of apples to be fair." He looked at Emma, ignoring the way Regina's smile had become forced, "What about you? You said like a week?" Man was Regina an amateur. He had seen Dean lie better, and Dean made it his job to lie horribly in the face of cops. 'Adorable my ass, Lyall thought in amusement.

"Yeah, what he said. Sorry. But hey," Emma grinned tightly, "I love apples."

Regina pulled back the basket, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea." She tilted her head, "Henry has enough issues, he doesn't need you confusing him."

"All do respect, Madame Mayor," Emma replied, "The fact that you threatened me twice in the last 12 hours makes me want to stay more."

"Threatened?" Lyall asked, voice now harsh.

Regina laughed, "Since when where apples a threat?"

"That's only one," Lyall replied, "What was the other?"

"Doesn't matter," Emma said to Lyall, before looking back at Regina. "And I can read between the lines." She shrugged a bit, "Sorry, I just want to make sure Henry's okay."

"He's fine, dear." Regina bit back. "Any problems he has is being taken care of."

"Unless you are a psychologist, Madame Mayor, I think I will withhold my opinion on that." Lyall said shortly and stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind him, and with a shift turn of his hand, the keys locked the door. Regina watched him warily, with Emma looking at him. "If you'll excuse me, I think I am going to make myself more familiar to the town." He smiled, a sharper edge to it. "I hope you don't mind, because I plan to stay a while."

Regina narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak when Emma cut her off. "I will see you later then. Have fun, and no flirting."

Lyall turned and walked away, ignoring Regina as he responded to Emma: "No promises!"

If the witch wanted to be passive aggressive, he could play passive aggressive.

 _Flashback:_

 _Lyall watched silently as the three people exited the car. 'Shame,' he thought idly, 'they seem nice.'_

 _He waited until they were out of sight, before moving towards the car. He was a scrawny thing after being on the streets for five years, so he slipped by unnoticed. Gingerly holding the crowbar aloft, he straightened up and placed the flat end in the niche between the window and door frame. 'Nice car.' He appraised. Heaving the bar down, Lyall pushed until a small click was heard._

 _The crowbar was pulled out and tossed onto the ground with a small clatter. Lyall opened the door hurriedly and climbed inside. He didn't have much time. Pulling open the small compartments, he looked for any loose cash. There was a lot. Twenties and Fifties, even Hundred-dollar bills. Gnawing his lip, Lyall eyed the money. Sighing angrily, he plucked four Twenties from the compartments before pausing. That was an ID, and another, and another._

 _Furrowing his eyebrows, Lyall made a move to grab it when the click of a gun made him freeze. "Don't move." A gruff voice commanded. When they saw Lyall was frozen, they grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled Lyall out of the Impala._

 _He crashed onto the ground, legs flailing in surprise. A gun was now in his face, Lyall realized, and he yelped. "'M sorry, Mister! Here, I'll-I'll return your money! I swear!"_

 _The money floated to the ground and Lyall raised his hands in the air. The man eyed him, hazel eyes suspicious and black hair messy._

 _Two boys were behind him, one taller than the other. The taller one held the smaller one, who looked about Lyall's age, behind him. "I'm sorry, sir! I was just lookin' for some money!" Lyall apologized to the adult._

 _"_ _Stand up." The man commanded. "I want a name."_

 _Lyall gulped, and quickly stood, body trembling. "L-Lyall, sir. Just Lyall."_

 _The man eyed his shoulder, and Lyall felt his blood run cold. "Nasty scar you got there, how'd you get it?"_

 _"_ _My-My old man's d-dog, sir. He bit me once." Lyall stuttered out. He internally cursed himself. Of course, with his luck he'd run into a possible Hunter. Not for the first time, Lyall wished he hadn't been stuck with the Cunnings when he was younger._

 _"_ _Your Dad's dog huh? Ya sure it wasn't your actual Old Man?" The Hunter-because now Lyall knew he was one-asked._

 _Lyall didn't try to lie, "Please, sir! I haven't hurt nobody! I-I only go after animals! I swear!" Lyall back pedaled away, stumbling and landing on his butt. He continued to shuffle away, "I-I just been trying to live righ' now! But I haven't gone after anyone!"_

 _The Hunter cursed, "Okay, Okay." He put away his gun, but Lyall wasn't stupid. The Hunter could still pull it out. "Relax kid, I ain't gonna hurt you."_

 _Lyall stilled, not because of the words, but because the younger kid had moved forward. "Hi." He said simply, an awkward smile in place._

 _"_ _Sam!" The older kid hissed, while the Hunter scowled._

 _Sam looked back at what was presumably his family. "Dad, come on. Look at him."_

 _The Hunter sighed, like this wasn't the first time his son had tried to convince him to help a monster. Really, Lyall should have taken that chance to run. However, something made him want to watch._

 _"_ _Dean," The Hunter said turning to the other kid. "Put your brother in the front seat, and then get into the back." The Hunter turned to Lyall. "I don't trust you, but I won't kill a kid unless I have too."_

 _"_ _What-What are 'ou gonna do to me?" Lyall stuttered, eyes not moving from the Hunter. Sam and Dean had entered the car._

 _The Hunter sighed, "I know a guy, Bobby Singer. He'll watch you." He motioned Lyall forward, "And I'm John. John Winchester."_

 _Lyall should have bolted right then, gun be damned. The Name Winchester was known even to street right like him, and it spelled trouble. And yet, Lyall had a feeling he needed to go with them. His gut was telling him too, and Lyall always trusted his gut._

Lyall sat in Granny's, scowling to himself. He twisted the phone for a moment, before flipping it open. Dialing to his voicemail, Lyall put the phone to his ear, nodding gratefully to Ruby when she placed a water in front of him.

" _Uh, hey, Lyall."_ Dean's voice echoed in his ear. Lyall furrowed his eyebrows slightly, noticing the pitch of his voice. He always sounded awkward on Birthday calls, but this was different. " _Look so, we uh, we snagged a Levi."_ Lyall straightened up in his seat, eyes snapping to his right when Emma sat down, a Newspaper in hand. " _They corned us at our Hotel after the case we were on. We're heading to Bobby's right now, but after that I don't know what'll happen. Lyall, I''_ Dean seems to sigh, " _Never mind, and Happy Birthday little bro._ "

Lyall snaps the phone shut and frowns. Cass' death was hurting Dean, and knowing him, he was bottling it up.

"You okay?" Ruby asks.

"What?" Lyall asks in surprise, looking up. His face flushes slightly, and he coughs, "Uh yeah, just uh, an old friend was checking in. He-uh, our other friend is, uh" Lyall falters, because really, it was possible for Cass to come back. Smiling ruefully, Lyall continues, "He's missing, and there aren't any leads. Right now, he is uh, presumed, you know." Lyall shrugs, looking at the counter. "And Dean isn't taking it well. They were close. Cass helped Dean in a big way, and well." Lyall shrugs again.

Ruby stares at Lyall is shock, before sympathy swamps over her features, "Oh, Oh I am so sorry."

Lyall gives another shrug, and glances over when Emma places a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't tell me that."

Lyall chuckles bitterly, "He was doing something stupid, and right now, I just, I don't feel like talking about it. Cass was a good friend. But this, this was hard. And yeah." Lyall breathes deeply. "Anyway, anything interesting?" Lyall motions to the paper, and Emma sighs.

"Just my face plastered all over the front page." Emma scowls.

Lyall snickered, glad Emma went along with his avoidance. "Nice mug-shot."

Ruby smiles, and then her face lit up. "Oh!" She mummers, "Almost forgot!" Turning around, she reached for a mug of hot chocolate, and then placed it in front of Emma.

Emma raises an eyebrow, "Thank you, but I did not order that." She placed her apple on the counter, eyeing the mug.

Ruby smirked, leaning her elbows on the counter. "Yeah I know. You have an admirer."

Emma hums, and then twists her torso to look around. Lyall sees him first; the Sheriff from the other day. But it's Henrys' tuft of brown hair that catches Lyall's attention. While Emma gets up to talk to the Sheriff, Lyall turns to Ruby with a grin. "I bet you ten dollars she is gonna be embarrassed when she realizes it was Henry."

Ruby's smirk widens, "How about a date instead? You win, you pick the restaurant, I win, we go the Rabbit Hole."

Lyall stares in surprise, and then a flush works it's way up his cheeks. Coughing, Lyall smiles a bit. "Alright, agreed."

Together they watch as Emma speaks to the Sheriff. Lyall almost breaks down in tears at the Sheriff's awkward smile as he eyes the Hot Chocolate and tells Emma he didn't send it. When Henry turns around, Lyall does laugh at the way Emma blushes in embarrassment.

Turning to Ruby, Lyall grins, "Meet you here at 8:00 tonight?"

Ruby sighs dramatically, "We aren't going to eat here are we?"

Lyall laughs, "As much as I enjoy the pie, no. I saw some place by the docks. The we can get Ice Cream after."

"Well no chocolate, I'm allergic." Ruby says with a grin.

"So am I, to Dark anyway. Milk for some reason, well, I ain't gonna complain." Lyall said.

"Lyall!" Emma calls, "I said no flirting!"

Lyall blushes a bit but sends a wink to Ruby. Sliding off the bar stool, he pulls out a ten and places it on the counter. "Change is your tip, Red. I'll see you at eight."

"It's a date." Ruby agrees.

Lyall turns and walks to the door where Emma and Henry were waiting. "Nice going with the Sheriff, Em. Really nailed it." He jokes.

"Oh, can it." Emma grumbles.

Together the three of them leave and walk down the sidewalk. Henry, of course, was in the middle. It was relatively cold for October in Maine, and Lyall stuffed his hands in his pocket.

"So, what's the deal with you and your Mom?" Emma asked Henry, told a bit annoyed.

"It's not about us. It's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan." His tone is determined, and as they walk, Lyall takes notice of Emma's apple. "Step one: Identification. I call it Operation Cobra."

"Cobra? But that has nothing to do with Fairy Tales." Emma replies.

"Exactly. That way Regina won't know about us being on her tail." Lyall snarks at her, lips pulled into a smirk.

Emma hums a bit, while Henry grins. "See, he gets it! That way, it'll throw the Evil Queen off our trail."

"So," Emma begins, "Everyone here it a Fairy Tail character-they just don't know it."

"That's the curse." Henry agrees, "Time's been frozen, until you got here."

Lyall smiles at the bonding between the two, and watches as Emma brings the Apple to her mouth. At that moment, Henry exclaims: "Hey! Where'd you get that?!"

"Your Mom." Emma replies, voice raising a bit in confusion.

"Don't eat that!" Henry admonishes, and then takes the apple to toss it over his shoulder.

"Kid," Lyall laughs, "If this town is cursed, there isn't any magic. It shouldn't be poisoned." Although, if Regina could do hex work here, that was a different story. But there would need to be a coin for it, and from this distance, a coin in Emma's car wouldn't work.

Henry shrugs, and Emma blinks in confusion. "O-Okay, alright. So, what about their pasts?"

"They don't know, it's a haze to them." Henry answered.

"But what about Ruby's reaction to her nickname I gave her? If the curse is so strong, then it shouldn't have an effect, right?" Lyall asked, confused.

Henry frowned to himself, "I don't know. Emma is the savior, so you saying it should have an effect."

'Oh,' Lyall thought, forcing his smile to stay in place. 'That's right. I was the happy accident. Emma is the important one.'

Henry seemed to hesitate, before looking back at Emma. "Ask anyone anything, and you'll see."

"So, for decades, people have been walking around in a haze, not aging, with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious." Emma said, voice doubtful.

Henry did not seem to catch it though, as a smile lit up his face. "I knew you'd get it. That's why we need you." Emma laughed breathlessly in disbelief. "You're the only one who can stop her curse."

Emma turned to look at Henry, clearly about to say something she shouldn't, but Lyall spoke up first. "So why am I here than?"

Henry grinned. "Well, Snow White and Prince Charming, your guys' parent, weren't expecting twins. But as far as I can tell, you're like her Knight. Her protector."

"Woah kid, I can protect myself." Emma said, mildly offended.

"Oh, I know that!" Henry laughed sheepishly, "But I think it makes sense. Even heroes need protection occasionally." Henry looked up at Emma, "But right now, we have the advantage. My mom doesn't know who you two are. I took out the end, the part with you two in it." Fishing in his bag, Henry pulled out three papers to hand it to Emma.

She took it, expression incredulous. Peering at the page, Lyall raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was a drawing of a blonde man, holding two infants. On one blanket, a name was etched. 'Emma'. On the other, who was laying on the floor, 'Lyall' was embroidered.

"See?" Henry started, "Your Mom is Snow White."

Emma smiled, "Oh, kid."

"I know the hero never believes at first. If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story." The three of them started walking again. "If you need them, take them, read them, but whatever you do, don't let her see these pages, they're dangerous." He looked serious, "If she finds out who you are," He looked at Emma, "it would be bad."

"Henry," Lyall started, eyes drifting, "Can I make copies?" He held up his hands at the horrified look Henry turned at him, "She won't find them, I got a safe in my truck! I just figure Em and I both need copies, you know?"

"Just be careful." Henry stressed.

Lyall smiled, "I will, kid." Lyall looked at his sister, and held out his hand, "Can I have them?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah." She glanced at Henry, "Just uh, be careful."

Lyall forced his smile to stay in place again. If there was anything he hated, it was watching adults 'humor' kids. Taking the papers, he started to back up. "I'll see you guys later!"

Lyall swiveled on his feet, face now blank. This was big, and there were only two guys he knew who could help. Pulling out his phone, he swiftly dialed up the number he needed.

"Hello?"

"I know your busy, but we have work we need to do in Maine. This is big. Very big." Lyall stated firmly.

"What do you need? I'll see if we can make it."

"There's a town, cursed. All of them. But they aren't from this world." Lyall said quietly in the phone. "Not aliens, but like, an alternate world where Fairy Tales are real. I've seen it."

"Your sure? Sounds weird, even for us."

"I nicknamed this girl Ruby, Red. And she froze. Like, traumatic flashback kinda froze. When I shook her out of she slapped me but didn't recall what she was remembering." Lyall sighed. "This kid showed up at my Sister's claiming to be her son. And the stuff he has told us about this town. His mother, the mayor, threatened me and Emma twice for even being here. Henry, the kid, says she is the Evil Queen."

"Okay, uh, give us the coordinates, and I'll see what we can do."

"Thanks, ya'll are the only ones besides Bobby I trust with this." Lyall said.

"Part of the job."

"Thanks, Dean." Lyall said gratefully.


	4. Chapter 4

(OUAT S1 E2 takes place in a single Day, SPN S7 Slash Fiction seems to take place over 4 to 5 days. As such, I plan on having Slash Fiction take place in the background, and then have one of the brothers, not sure who yet, help out Lyall. I need to refresh myself first)

Chapter 4: The Thing You Love Most Part Two

Lyall sat in his room, a heavy frown on his face. It seemed that was coming to be his default expression these days. 'Days,' He thought bitterly, 'More like these past years.' Bobby had just called him to let him know what the Leviathans were up to, and now both brothers were dealing with it. Worse, was that currently, nothing was working on the Levi Bobby had in his basement.

Not only that, but Emma had the good idea to talk to Henry's therapist. If that wasn't shady enough, the man had given Emma Henry's files. Lyall wasn't stupid, he knew about Doctor-Patient confidentiality. It was something that gave the Winchester's most trouble on hunts. Rubbing his forehead, Lyall sat up and checked the time. It was still early, and even now, more and more things were coming up.

The teacher Lyall met, Mary-Margaret was Snow White. At least, that was what Emma told him. It made Lyall feel conflicted, knowing he was so close to the Woman who was most likely his mother. Which meant that his Father-

Lyall cut of his train of thought. There was no use dwelling on things that could have been. If anything, he should be going out and helping Sam and Dean, not wasting time. But he wasn't wasting time, not really. Lyall was ready to pull out his phone when there was a knock at the door. Not his of course, but Emma's.

Lyall got up and opened his door just in time for Emma to do the same. Judging by the look on her face, she was not pleased to see the Sheriff-he really needed to remember this guy's name-standing there.

Emma gave a half smile, "Hey there," she said, albeit a bit awkwardly, "If you're worried about the 'Do Not Disturb' Signs, don't worry, I've left them alone."

The Sheriff sighed, "Actually I'm here about Doctor Archibald Hopper." He said. Emma put a hand on her hip and furrowed her eyebrows. Of course, Lyall realized, Of course this would come and bite her in the ass. "He mentioned you got into a bit of a row with him earlier?" He sounded like it was unthinkable.

Emma seemed to stifle a scoff as she placed her hands in her back pockets and gave him a disbelieving look. "No."

The Sheriff looked tired, but amused, "I was shocked too. Given your shy, delicate sensibilities."

Lyall snorted, drawing the attention of the two. "She ain't shy, but she isn't stupid. Emma has no reason to get into a fight with him. She told me that she just wanted to know where Henry's idea for the Fairy Tale thing came from."

Sheriff shrugged. "Well, he said Emma demanded to see Henry's files. And that you," Sheriff pointed at Lyall, "Threatened him bodily harm."

"You must be joking." Lyall said, shocked. "I've been here since I left Emma and Henry earlier. The kid had us walk him."

"Well, unless someone backs up your claim, I've gotta take you in." Sheriff said apologetically.

"Okay." Emma cut in, "This is ridiculous. Lyall didn't do anything. And I did see Dr. Hopper, but he gave me the files."

"Here." Lyall said, fishing out his phone, "I'll call up my friend, I was talking to 'im earlier."

Sheriff nodded, "Alright, but that will only get you out of it." He looked at Emma, "I'm sorry but if you have the files than I need to take you in."

While the Sheriff and Emma moved into her room to look around, Lyall dialed up Bobby. It was after the third ring that someone picked up. "Hello?" A gruff annoyed voice snapped.

"Bobby? Hey, it's Lyall."

"I know who this is, boy. What do you want?" The aged Hunter demanded.

The Sheriff approached then, an annoyed Emma trailing him. Lyall sighed, "Apparently, while I has having a nice conversation of you, I was also threatening bodily harm to some Doctor."

"What?!" Bobby exclaimed.

The Sheriff winced, and Emma smirked. "Yeah," Lyall snickered, "Mind clearing that up to him?"

"Give him the damn phone."

"I'll put you on speaker, Bobby." Lyall laughed.

Holding out the phone, Lyall swiftly tapped the button that would make Bobby's voice loud and clear. The Sheriff leaned forward hesitantly, like Bobby was gonna come out of the phone to eat him. "Er, hello? This is Sheriff Graham. Mr. Swan claims to have been in his room talking to you, is that correct?"

"Y'er damn right it is! Now you listen here, ya idjit." Bobby practically growled, "I got shit I need to do, and you arresting Lyall is screwing this up. I don' know what's goin' on, but I do know Lyall was talkin' to me for a good two hours. That was 'bout half an' hour ago. That clear shit up?"

Lyall snorted, "Oh wow, insult the Sheriff why don't you, that'll help." Lyall said sarcastically.

"I gotta' go. Chatty Cathy is becomin' an annoyance." Bobby grunted.

Lyall eyed the phone, "You need my help, old man?"

"Nah, I'm good." Bobby said, before sighing, "See ya' later, kid." He then hung up.

Lyall looked at Graham and Emma, the former embarrassed, while the latter was fighting back laughter. "That clear things up?" Lyall asked dryly.

"Er, yes. Thank you." Graham replied awkwardly.

"Well," Emma said with a tight smile, "You going to take me away now?"

"I am sorry." Graham said, reaching out a lightly grasping Emma's shoulder.

"I'll lock the door. And then, I am going to find an ATM to bail my sister." Lyall said with a tight grin. "Will that be a problem, Sheriff?"

"Well, I, er, need to post Bail first." He replied. Lyall wondered if the man was intimidated, because he really wasn't this awkward with Emma.

"You do that." Lyall said, sarcasm thick in his tone.

"Hey," Emma cut in, "Just grab the money. I'll go quietly."

"Thank you." Graham murmured.

"Go." Lyall snapped at him. He didn't feel guilty when Graham flinched, after all, his sister was being framed; that, or someone was lying.

* * *

Despite having looked around town earlier, Lyall found himself standing outside a sweet shop, lost. Apparently, the bank was difficult to find in a small town. Grumbling angrily to himself, Lyall pushed open the door to the sweet shop. It was surprisingly empty, except for the cashier.

He was around 5'9', with medium length-for a guy-hair the color of goldish-brown. 'geez,' Lyall thought, 'When did I become a poet exactly?' He was reading a book, a lollipop dangling from his mouth. "'Cuse me?" Lyall asked as he approached the man. "Do you know where the bank is around here?"

The man looked up, and both froze. "Ah, shit." The man- no, he wasn't a man-cursed.

"What the hell you doin' here?" Lyall growled, all pretense of politeness gone.

"Uh, being cursed?" He said, as though Lyall was an idiot.

"I would have thought Witch Curses were too weak for someone like you." Lyall said, tone agitated.

"Uh, full power maybe, but I got stuck here just as the curse washed over the Forest, and I was kinda half-dead at the time. So now I'm stuck!" He grinned, "What brings you here?"

"None of your business, Gabriel." Lyall snapped.

"Aww, come one now. Didn't you miss your favorite Archangel?" Gabriel teased.

Lyall sighed, "It says a lot about my life that a being who killed my friend a hundred time is someone I prefer over his brothers."

"My brothers are dicks-even if I love them." Gabriel said with a half shrug.

"Look," Lyall cut in, "We can catch up later, I need to bail my sister out and-'' Lyall's phone rang then, and he scowled to himself. "Hello?" he asked, placing the phone to his ear.

"Thought you were going to bail me out?" Emma snapped.

"I got lost, I was just asking this guy where the bank was when you called, Em." Lyall placated.

"Yeah well, I need to go now. I have something to do."

"Emma, wait!" Lyall quickly said, ignoring Gabriel's intrigued look. "You have to realize that the kid is just going to get hurt if you two continue this."

"She started it." Was all his sister said, before she hung up. Lyall cursed to himself.

"Look, we can talk later. I need to, go." Lyall said.

"Yeah, okay." Gabriel replied. He looked worried, which was new, but then again, dying does change a person-archangel-whatever he was.

Lyall sighed again, and quickly hurried outside.

 _Flashback:_

 _If Lyall was being honest with himself, he would freely admit to being terrified at the moment. While Lyall knew that stealing would get him into trouble, he never thought he would be made by a Winchester. Yet, here he was, sitting in the backseat of a car, while John fucking Winchester was driving._

 _Lyall was screwed._

 _"_ _Where is your family?" John asked, eyes focused on the road. "If they bit you, then they got no qualms about others I suspect."_

 _"_ _I-I don't know." Lyall stuttered._

 _"_ _Look kid, it ain't no use protecting them. They're monsters." John replied._

 _"_ _No, I-I mean, I-I ran away 'bout five years ago. I-I go' scared. I-I'm sorry, sir." Lyall rushed, watching as John gripped the steering wheel tightly._

 _"_ _Where'd you run from, what town?" The Hunter demanded._

 _"_ _Uh, I-I think it was in Massachusetts? I-I was born in Maine, and they adopted me, but then they moved. I-I don't know the town. Was somewhere near Boston, I think." Lyall said, curling up in his seat further. He was terrified._

 _"_ _That's a long way from South Dakota." Dean, the one next to him, noted._

 _"_ _I wanted away, so I go' away. I hitch-hiked on the back of cars when people didn' notice." Lyall explained._

 _"_ _You got any other family?" John asked._

 _"_ _A-A sister, I think. That's what the Nuns told me. But she was adopted before me, when she was young. I got transferred two years later. I think. I was only two." Lyall answered._

 _John said nothing in response, eyes unblinking as he watched the highway._

 _End Flashback:_

* * *

Lyall paced outside the door to his room, nervously rubbing his hands. "Again," Granny said, voice full of regret, "If I had the choice I would let you stay, I swear."

"No," Lyall replied, waving her off, "It isn't your fault. Really. It's a stupid rule." Lyall rolled his eyes, "People in association to felons."

"I didn't even know we had that rule until-''

"Until Madame Mayor called to remind you." Lyall finished.

Granny nodded weakly, cringing when Emma came bustling down the hall. She had just made it to her room when Granny spoke. "Ms. Swan!" She called out, making Emma pause. "Oh, my, this is terribly awkward." Granny took a nervous breath, "I need to ask you to leave."

Emma's eyes widened in shock, and she gave Granny an incredulous look.

"I-I'm afraid we have a," She paused, "a No-Felons rule." She floundered a moment, "It-It turns out it's a city ordinance. And no accomplices either, though I don't see how that applies to you." She waved her hand at Lyall, who sighed in aggravation.

"Let me guess-the mayor's office just called to remind you?" Emma asked, lips turned up in an irritated smirk.

Granny looked down, as though she were ashamed, before looking back up at Emma, "You can gather your things, but I'm going to need your room key back."

Emma shook her head slightly, before holding up her hand. The key dangled from her fingers, and Lyall just realized that there was a swan on it.

'Swan,' Lyall thought without mirth, 'How ironic.'

* * *

Emma and Lyall walked down the street, Emma angrily tugging on her outer shirt. When she was finished, Lyall held out her jacket, which she hurriedly put on. At that moment, a cell phone rang. It was Emma's, and she quickly put it to her ear. At that moment, Lyall spotted their cars, and he felt a surge of rage. They had booted them.

Emma had also spotted it, and together they made their way over to the cars. From this angle, Lyall was able to here Regina speak.

"-But am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?"

"You have no idea." Emma said, anger in her voice.

"Well then," Regina replied pleasantly into the phone, "I think it's time we made peace."

Lyall snarled, making Emma send him an alarmed look.

"Why don't your drive over to my office." Regina continued. At her comment, Lyall kicked the boot on his tire. The shock went through his system, but he ignored it. "Or walk-whatever suits you. And bring your brother, if you'd like."

Lyall cast a glance at the clock: 4:30 p.m.

Emma scowled, and hung up, her face morphing into an almost exact replica of Sam's bitch-face number 12: Done with this bitch's shit.

The similarity almost made Lyall laugh. Almost. Because his face morphed into the exact look on Emma's. It seemed they were both done with Regina. Together they both walked down the street to Mayor's office.

* * *

In Regina's office, both Emma and Lyall glared daggers at Regina. The women walked around to a chair, face perfectly placed into an apologetic mask. Lyall, who had seen enough fakes in his life, almost called her out on it. "I'd like to start by apologizing, Mr. and Ms. Swan."

Emma, who was crouched on the sofa, raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked flatly.

Lyall knew that whatever was going to come from Regina's mouth would be bullshit. But he was momentarily distracted by the familiar scent of his nephew getting closer. Placed by the door, he could glance out it and easily make out the confused form of Henry. "I just have to accept that you want to be here…"

"That's right I do." Emma interrupted.

"And that you're here to take my son from me." Regina finished.

Lyall rolled his eyes in Henry's direction, causing the young man to give a hesitant smile.

"Okay." Emma quickly said, voice irritated, "Let's be clear. I have no intention of taking him from anyone."

Regina looked at Emma in honest confusion, "Well, then, what are you doing here?"

Lyall smirked at Henry, and mouthed out _Curse_ to the boy. Henry gave him a bright smile, eyes lit up like Christmas had come early.

"I know I'm not a mother-I think that's pretty self-evident-but I did have him, and I can't help it. He got in my head and I want to make sure he's okay." Emma quickly replied.

Lyall watched as Henry's face fell and cursed his sister. He knew lying to Henry about her interest in the curse would come to bite Emma in the ass, but he had hoped it wouldn't be this fast.

Emma sighed, "The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how troubled he is."

Lyall's eyes widened in shock, and he watched as Henry visibly flinched. He snapped his head to stare at his sister, and all but snarled. "Emma!" He snapped.

"What?" Emma asked, as though she didn't know what was wrong.

"Henry isn't troubled, if anything he seems put together more than anyone in this town!" Lyall barked at her.

"He thinks everyone in this town is a Fairy Tale character, he is in therapy, Lyall, it's crazy." Emma quickly told him.

Lyall felt his whole being freeze. His soul squeezed, he could feel it at his core. Grinding his teeth and clenching his jaw, Lyall glared venomously at his sister. "Out of all the shit I have seen, I never saw a Mother insist that her son, even if she never raised him, was crazy. That," Lyall shook his head, "That is sick." He took a step to the door, and then moved his glare to Regina. "And you," he all but growled, "You are a cold-hearted bitch. I would have thought you had no soul if it wasn't your anger that tipped me off that you have some emotion." Disgusted, Lyall yanked open the door, revealing a tearful Henry.

The boy trembled, staring at Emma with heart-broken eyes, "You think I'm crazy?"

"Henry." Emma breathed. She quickly stood, moving to her son.

"Don't." Lyall said coldly. He looked at Regina, who had a smug look on her face. "Emma may have had a closed adoption, but that doesn't apply to me. Which means if I wanted to take him out for an hour, I can." Regina straightened up, eyes wide. "But only is he's okay with it." Lyall looked at Henry, who took one look at him before reaching out and snagging his sleeve.

Lyall nodded, and quickly enveloped Henry's hand in his own. "Come on, I know a guy." He said quietly.

Together the two all but ran from the house. Lyall still felt sick. He had been called crazy once, and it was only later that people believed him, or rather, they knew he wasn't. The old scar burned on his shoulder, as though he had just received it. Lyall ignored it, and swept down to pick up Henry in his arms.

Henry, the poor boy, was practically sobbing. There were no tears, but his shoulders shook, and his breath came out in great heaving gasps. Lyall followed the sent of ozone and honey, with a twinge of Candy to Gabriel's home.

He could deal with his own pain later.

 _Flashback:_

 _It had been a few days since the Winchesters had found Lyall. He was curled up in Bobby Singer's spare room, on a bed that by far the comfiest thing he had slept on in his life. Lyall was sleeping, breaths coming in low, deep puffs._

 _Bobby sighed from the doorway, and then turned to go downstairs. John and his boys were sprawled around the living room, with Sam taking up the couch, and Dean the chair. John leaned against the wall, eyes trained on the door._

 _Bobby moved quietly towards John. "I'm surprised you brought 'im here." Bobby said, voice low as to not wake up the boys._

 _John pursed his lips, "He's just a kid, Bobby."_

 _"_ _He's a skinwalker." Bobby corrected._

 _John shrugged, before he abruptly tensed, eyes narrowing at someone behind Bobby. Turning around, they found the boy, Lyall, watching then with a sleepy expression. Despite that, there was no mistaking the absolute terror behind his blue eyes._

 _"_ _You don't believe me, do you?" Lyall asked, eyes wide. "Y'all think I'm crazy, don' you?"_

 _"_ _Kid," Bobby sighed, "It's just 'ard to believe that y'er not gonna' end up killin' someone."_

 _"_ _Bobby." John cut in, "If he was killin' people we would have noticed the bodies dropping."_

 _Bobby eyed the boy. He was thin and pale, but his arms and legs consisted wiry muscle. Lyall was covered in dirt and grime, and he had no shoes. Bobby eyed him. "How long you been on the streets, kid?"_

 _"_ _Since I was seven, sir." Lyall replied, voice low._

 _"_ _When did you leave your family, Lyall?" John asked, standing up swiftly and silently._

 _"_ _When I was six, sir." Lyall answered._

 _"_ _So where were you between then?" Bobby questioned._

 _Lyall flinched, "They-They put me in a m-ment-mental hospital. Thought I was crazy, 'cause I told 'em tha' my Old Man turned into a dog and bit me." He looked up at the two Hunters. "But you don' think I'm crazy. 'Cause y'er Hunters, righ'?"_

 _Bobby looked at him for a long minute, before huffing in amusement. "Y'er accent gets thicker when y'er nervous, you know that?"_

 _Lyall flushed, but couldn't help the small, shy smile that grew across his lips. The warm feeling in his chest was unfamiliar, but despite this, he knew what it was. A sense of belonging._

 _Flashback End:_

* * *

Lyall watched Dr. Hopper warily. When he had appeared on Gabriel's doorstep, he knew that the shrink would need to talk to Henry, but not because the kid was crazy. He and Gabriel had spoken about it, when Henry had fallen into a troubled sleep. It 7:30, and Lyall had texted Ruby-Gabriel insured Lyall had the right number-about what had happened and asked if they could meet later tonight. She agreed, though Lyall knew she was upset. After explaining the situation to the Fallen Archangel-was he even fallen?-Lyall had taken Henry to Dr. Hopper in hopes that the kid would speak to him. It wasn't working.

Dr. Hopper sighed at Henry's silence, and then looked at the boy again. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?" He asked.

Henry didn't respond, absent-mindedly rubbing Dr. Hopper's umbrella. The kid was glued to Lyall's side, which was why he was even listening to this session. Hopper's office was cozy, but then again that was to be expected.

Dr. Hopper gave a half-smile, "You know, that umbrella, it's uh, kinda my good luck charm." He said, trying to get Henry to speak. When there was no response, Dr. Hopper sighed again. He looked at the umbrella, then asked, "Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?"

Henry shrugged again, "I don't think you're anyone." Henry's voice was filled with grief, and Lyall felt another surge of rage.

At that moment the door opened, and Emma's familiar scent wafted through Lyall's nose. Instinctively, Lyall wrapped his arm around Henry, and glared at his sister. Dr. Hopper quickly stood, "Ms. Swan, look I can explain. The Mayor forced me-''

Emma swiftly cut off the shrink with a short, "I know." She sighed, "Don't worry about it, I get it." Emma then quickly moved towards Henry and Lyall. Henry twisted around, and buried his head in Lyall's coat. "Henry," Emma called, "I'm sorry."

"I don't wanna talk to you." Henry muttered into Lyall's jacket.

Lyall turned rage filled eyes on his sister, "You heard him, he doesn't want to talk to you."

"Ms. Swan, if she knew you were here, she would be very upset. It's bad enough that Lyall refused to leave when she called." Dr. Hopper butted in, his voice was surprisingly stern. Lyall felt a quick flash of respect for the man, before it was drowned by his boiling rage.

"To hell with her." Emma snapped. Emma sat down in the chair Dr. Hopper had vacated and held out the papers Henry had given them. It was her copy of course. Lyall's was in his trunk, securely locked in a small case. "Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here-you. I wanted to get to know you."

Lyall knew instantly what she was doing, and the anger he was trying to push down roared to life. It was something the Doctors did to him. Appealed to his 'imagination', and then tried to smother it. He glared at Emma, "You implied that Henry was crazy, and you think a 'sorry' is going to make up for it?" Lyall demanded.

"No, I think the curse is crazy. And it is." Emma sighed, frustration leaking into her tone. "But, that doesn't mean that it isn't true." She looked at Lyall, eyes frustrated and pleading.

Lyall didn't give into that look. For years, he had dreamt of his time in the Hospital. He knew the signs of an adult playing along, and while his sister was doing it to keep Henry happy, Lyall was not going to play along to Emma's game.

Henry shifted in Lyall's arms to peer at Emma, and Lyall, for the first time, felt the tendrils of hate snag in his soul.

Emma gave Henry a hopeful smile, "It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So what do I know? Maybe it is true."

Henry scowled, "But you told my mom-''

"What she needed to hear." Emma interrupted. "What I do know, is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen," Henry looked over at Emma, eyes wide. Emma smiled wider, "Into thinking that we are nonbelievers. 'Cause that way, she's not on to us." She glanced at Dr. Hopper, "Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about?" Henry started smile, and Lyall watched with a sinking heart as Emma continued, inspired by Henry's slow growing hope, "Throwing her off the trail?"

Henry pried himself from Lyall's side, and small grin playing his lips. "Brilliant." He said, eyes bright with joy. Lyall forced himself not to scream. This beautiful kid, with a pure glowing soul, and his mother was lying to his face about her beliefs.

Emma shook the pages in her hands, "I read the pages, and, Henry, you're right-they are dangerous." Emma made to stand up, "There is only one way to make sure that she never sees these." Emma walked to the fireplace, and swiftly tossed in the pages. They burned slowly, all evidence of their existence disappearing except the copies in Lyall's trunk. She turned to Henry, a breathless smile on her face. "Now we have the advantage."

Henry lunged off the couch, and quickly gripped her in a hug. Lyall never moved, eyes dark as he stared at Emma. "I knew you were here to help me." Henry muttered.

Guilt filled Emma's features, and Lyall felt a slow satisfaction burn in him. Emma rubbed Henry's head, "That's right kid. I am." She pulled away, throwing a glance at Lyall. "And nothing, not even a curse, is gonna stop that."

* * *

Lyall made his way down to Granny's, eyes dark. Henry had been dropped off not that long ago, but Lyall couldn't care at that moment. He was so pissed. The fact that his sister would lie and entertain Henry's theory sickened him. Lyall knew Henry's theory was true, but Emma didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. But Emma gave Henry hope, false hope, and when the kid found out she didn't believe, that she did think he was a little bit crazy, it would break him.

At that moment, Emma came into his view. 'Speak and thou shalt appear.' Lyall thought sourly. "What?" He growled shortly at her.

"Look, I don't know why you're pissed at me." Emma started.

"I'm pissed because you think he's crazy, but you lied to him anyway. You've given him hope, and when he finds out you lied it'll make his world come crashing down." Lyall retorted. Now that he was starting he wasn't going to stop. "This isn't some botched attempted to flee from his life, Emma. He was troubled, sure. But until he got that book, and saw the similarities, he wasn't angry, he didn't run away. I spoke to Dr. Hopper. This isn't what you think it is."

"Then what is it? You can't seriously believe that this is real, Lyall!" Emma hissed.

Lyall glared down at his sister. "You know what I think? I think it's strange that giving a girl a nickname sends her into a state that completely blocks out the outside world. I think it's strange that the people of this town can't remember their past clearly. I think it's strange that the clock only starts to work after you rent a room. I think it's strange you crashed into the town sign while perfectly sober because a Wolf appeared randomly." Lyall started walking forward, bumping harshly into Emma's shoulder as he did.

She reached out a grabbed his arm, "Lyall come on."

Lyall ripped his arm from her grasp. "I can recognize the signs, Emma. It's happened to me before." He glared at Emma. "I've been in a mental hospital, despite the physical proof of my story, which means that this," He motioned to Emma's shocked form, "this is familiar. So, take heed of these words. Family doesn't end in blood, but it doesn't start there either."

Emma flinched.

"You're my sister, but somethings are going to far, and if you hit that point, Emma, I cannot promise that I'll forgive you." Lyall shook his head and continued to the Diner.

He had a date.

* * *

| **That became more angsty then I wanted. I rewatch this episode, and was like "Damnit Emma don't lie!" And Winchester's lie a lot, So I figured Lyall would be very triggered. Anyway, the next episode takes place over a period of almost two to three days. Which means by chapter...6 to 7 either Sam or Dean will pop into the story. Throw me some ideas on scenes you want please. And ideas. I'm thinking of bringing in Hook sooner, like he actually was caught in the curse. I might also figure out a way, that after the curse breaks, Lyall and Ruby leave to hunt with the Winchesters. I'm still not sure. Lyall being in an asylum was also kinda spur of the moment. Let me know what y'all think! Constructive criticism helps!** |


	5. Chapter 5

**(Snow Falls {OUAT S1E3} takes place over a time of roughly two to three days. The End of Snow Falls will sync with the end of Slash Fiction {Supernatural S7E6} With the revelations of S13E13 for Supernatural {Devil's Bargain} I am going to have to adjust my plot course. The main plot of The Man and The Wolf that takes place in OUAT will stay the same of course. Now, Enjoy!)**

 **| Snow Falls Part One |**

 _Flashback:_

 _He had only been a week with the Hunters, but Lyall had a pretty good idea about who they were. John, of course, was the 'Alpha' of the group. Bobby in his own way was the Alpha as well, but when it was just the Winchesters, John's word seemed to be law. Not to Sam though; for Sam, John was like a collar, someone to only hold him back. In the past week alone, there had been three fights. Dean was a strange mix. It was clear that despite John's position in the family, Dean was more of a caretaker for Sam. If Sam had a bad dream, go to Dean. Sam was hungry, go to Dean. It was a curious thing to watch, but if Lyall was being honest, he would say that he was making things tense for the Winchester's._

 _All three fights had been about Lyall. John had found a hunt and had wanted to take off with the boys. The hunt, however, was three states away. Dean had been ready to go, but not Sam. Lyall remembered the first fight. It was his second night at Singer's place, and he had been quietly picking at the steak he was eating. Bobby was standing next to him, tense and annoyed, while an exasperated Dean watched from behind Lyall as Sam and John argued._

 _"But Dad! We can't jus' leave him! He needs our help!" Sam cried, hands waving around the air._

 _In Lyall's opinion, he was just fine alone, even if he did like it with the Hunters. It seemed John agreed, because he glared down at Sam, "No." He said firmly. "This ain't an argument Sam, or a discussion. Lyall is staying here, now pack your bags."_

 _Sam glared angrily at John, before he ran past him and up the stairs. John sighed wearily, and Lyall ducked his head. Logically, he knew it wasn't his fault, but that didn't stop the small amount of guilt that pooled in his stomach. Scratch that, a large amount of guilt. Lyall swallowed past the lump in his throat, and blink rapidly._

 _There was a sigh from John, and then a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Lyall flinched instinctively, before slowly raising his eyes to meet that of John's. The Hunter gave him a look, before his features softened. "Stay here, kid. Bobby'll watch you." He looked at Bobby, "If tha's okay with you?"_

 _Lyall glanced at Bobby from under his bangs to see the seasoned Hunter nodding. "Of course, I will. I ain't a saint but I'm no' leavin' no kid on his own." There was a bite to the last few words that surprised Lyall. Lyall looked at John to see him glaring at Bobby, and behind him, Dean looked uncomfortable._

 _The sound of rapid, heavy footsteps made the three males glance in the direction of the stairs. Sam rushed past, throwing a glare at John, before storming outside to the Impala. John sighed heavily and nodded his head at Dean. "Go stay with your brother, Dean. I'm goin' stay back for a few."_

 _"Sure thing, Dad." Dean replied. He looked at Lyall, who shrunk a bit under his gaze. "Uh, I'll uh, see you later?"_

 _Lyall was surprised by the bit of hope in the older boy's voice, but nonetheless he flashed him a shy smile and nodded in reply. Dean beamed and grabbed his duffle before bolting from the house. Lyall could hear his heavy footfalls and then the sound of the car door opening. A moment later, the door slammed closed, a sound that the two adult Hunters and Lyall could hear._

 _Lyall looked up at John and Bobby, uncomfortable now that Sam and Dean had left._

 _ **FLASHBACK END:**_

* * *

Lyall sat in Granny's, head in his hands. His parting words to Emma echoed in his own head, and an all-consuming guilt was starting to gnaw at his stomach. Behind him, Ruby clattered around in her heels, humming under her breath.

Twisting in his seat, Lyall watched as his date meandered about. His eyes then moved to where Mary-Margaret was sitting. Across from her, Dr. Whale was seated, smiling with hesitation at the pixie haired woman. Lyall watched with narrowed eyes as Whale's gaze drifted over to Ruby, who was picking up dishes from a table. A moment later, Whale snapped his gaze back to his flustered date.

"So, uh, where were we? Something about you wanting," He paused and then laughed a bit, "Uh, fifteen kids?"

Lyall narrowed his eyes, an old protective instinct started to claw at his mind. It was odd, because Lyall only really felt like this when something was starting to threaten his brothers or Castiel. Whale for some odd reason was rubbing Lyall the wrong way and-

Lyall grimaced when Mary-Margaret let out a startled laugh. "No! Good lord, no." She looked at Whale with a bright, if slightly embarrassed, smile. "I meant in my class where I teach." She explained. "You'll meet them tomorrow. They're coming to the hospital as part of the volunteer Outreach Program."

Ruby brushed past Lyall then, throwing him a wide flirty smile. She was getting off in thirty minutes and was wearing a rather revealing outfit. As she moved, Lyall caught sight of Whale once again watching Ruby.

Whale nodded distractedly, "Oh, yeah. That is a great program."

May-Margaret looked down to fiddle with her fork, voice bashful, "I mean, obviously I don't want fifteen kids of my own." She sighed dreamily, "Um, I mean, not that I don't want kids. I do. I want kids, marriage, true love – I want it all." She looked up at Whale, and Lyall cringed.

What was ogling Ruby, who was now leaned over a table, giving a rather lecherous view of her backside. "But that-" Mary-Margaret cut herself off. Her voice hardened, eyes becoming shards of ice as she glared at Whale. "-Is incredibly inappropriate for me to discuss on a first date."

Ruby walked past them, Whale letting out a soft hum as she did.

"Ruby!" May-Margaret called sharply. Her tone caused Ruby to stop short and turn around, a tight smile on her beautiful features.

"Yes-" Ruby started annoyed, making Lyall cough. She glanced at Lyall, exasperated. Then she looked back at Mary-Margaret, and when she spoke, it wasn't nearly as annoyed. "Yes, Mary-Margaret?"

Mary-Margaret looked down, "Check please?"

Lyall frowned as Ruby made her way around the counter. He looked at Whale who was now grabbing his stuff. The Doctor smiled at Mary-Margaret, "I really enjoyed tonight, maybe we should do it again?" He looked around for a moment before looking at her again. "You got the bill?" Without giving her a chance to respond, Whale was out the door.

Lyall gaped at the door in shock, before slowly dragging his gaze to a stunned Mary-Margaret. Lyall took in the way she slowly sank into herself, a cloud of depression seeming to drape around her like a blanket. Lyall turned to look at Ruby, who was as surprised as he. "Ruby," he murmured lowly, "Let me pay the bill."

She smiled at him, "Quite the Charmer, huh?" Without question, she pushed the bill across the counter to him.

Lyall grinned and removed his wallet. He glanced at the price before taking out the correct amount of cash. He placed it on the bill, with an extra fifteen dollars as a tip for Ruby. He then pushed it back to her and winked. "I'll come back and get you, is that okay? I want to make sure May-Margaret gets back to her place safe."

"Careful there, handsome." Ruby teased, "If you're anymore a Gentleman, I'll have competition."

Lyall winked, "And replace you?" He leaned forward, looking seriously into her eyes-though she didn't seem to notice-and grinned. "Never."

Ruby smiled, and then grabbed the bill. She leaned back, walking over to the cash register. Lyall, satisfied his date wasn't ruined yet, stood from his stool and made his way over to a despondent May-Margaret. Reaching out, he placed a comforting hand over her shoulder. "Hey." He called softly.

She looked up in mild surprise, "Lyall." She quickly brushed herself off and attempted to smile. "What can I do for you?"

Lyall laughed, "Nothing. I was offering to walk you home. You look like you could use a friend." Lyall's tone was warm.

Mary-Margaret flushed, "Uh, well-well I have to pay the, uh, bill. But-I mean, after that, I-I wouldn't mind."

Lyall smirked. "Already taken care of, I assure you."

Mary Margaret blinked in surprise. "You-You paid my bill?"

Lyall shrugged. "Well, Whale left you in the wind. Plus, you paid my-" Lyall cut himself off momentarily, before continuing, "Emma's bail. It's the least I can do."

Mary Margaret smiled, "Well in that case, I would be honored to have you walk me home." She paused. "Wait, what about your date?"

Lyall turned to look at Ruby, who gave him an encouraging and understanding smile. Lyall looked back at Mary Margaret, saying "I'll be back to pick her up. Her shift doesn't end for another thirty minutes." He nodded at the door.

"Well alright." Mary Margaret conceded.

Beaming, Lyall pulled her chair out and helped her with her stuff. Moments later, they were out the door. Before he left, Lyall smiled at Ruby.

Lyall and Mary Margaret walked quietly down the street, a companionable silence between them. Mary Margaret was looking down at her feet, undoubtedly deep in thought. Similarly, Lyall was pondering how instinctively protective he was of the woman. It was an odd feeling. Typically, it took Lyall several months-even years-to trust someone. With Sam, Dean and Castiel it hadn't taken long. They had been through a lot in life, so it made sense. But with Mary Margaret-

Lyall cut himself off when he saw that they were approaching Emma's car. His stomach twisted, but Lyall kept his face expressionless as he and Mary Margaret walked up. Mary Margaret stopped, and looked in curiously, meeting Emma's eyes. Emma briefly looked at Lyall, before returning her attention the raven-haired woman.

"Hey." Mary Margaret greeted. "You okay?"

Emma sighed, "Oh, in the world of tight spots I've been in," she started, "Crashing in my car doesn't even rank in the top ten." She gave Mary Margaret a small, bitter smile.

Mary Margaret's eyes widened, and she ran her gaze over the tiny bug. "You're sleeping here?"

Emma shrugged. "'Til I find a place." She explained.

"You decided to stay." Mary Margaret realized with a growing smile. "For Henry." She elaborated.

Lyall gritted his teeth in barely restrained anger. ' _Sure,'_ he thought sarcastically, ' _She's staying for his own_ _ **good**_ _.'_

Emma, as though sensing his thoughts, flinched. Emma glanced at Lyall guiltily, before responding to Mary Margaret. "Yeah, I guess." She started. "This town doesn't seem to have any vacancies. None, actually." She glanced questioningly at Mary Margaret, "Is that normal?"

Mary Margaret smiled in amusement, "Must be the curse."

Emma's eyes widened, and she looked sharply at Lyall. Lyall met her gaze stonily, and then raised an eyebrow. His sister frowned, then looked back at Mary Margaret. "Why are you out so late?" She asked.

Mary Margaret shrugged, "Well, I'm a teacher, not a nun." She explained. "I had a date."

Emma gave her a dubious look. "From the looks of things, it went well." Her sarcastic observation brought a reluctant smirk to Lyall's lips.

"As well as they ever do." Mary Margaret laughed.

Emma cringed, "Tell me he at least paid."

Mary Margaret shook her head with a sardonic smile. Then her smile brightened, and she straightened up. "But your brother became my knight in shining armor by paying the bill. He was walking me home when we ran into you."

Emma looked curiously at Lyall. "Really? I thought you had a date."

Lyall smiled, "Ruby's shift doesn't get off for another few minutes, and well, Whale was being a dick. I figured it was the least I could do seeing as she paid your bail while I was looking for a bank." _'Speaking of,'_ Lyall recalled, _'I am going to need to talk to Gabriel soon.'_

Mary Margaret glanced between the twins, as though she was sensing the tension. The she sighed wistfully. "Well, guess if true love was easy," she started. "We'd all have it." Mary Margaret looked thoughtfully at Emma's car, then turned her attention to the blonde in question. "You know, if things get cramped, I do have a spare room." She offered.

Emma smiled, embarrassed. "Thanks." She replied. "But I'm not really the roommate type." Emma shrugged. "It's just not my thing. I do better on my own." She glanced at Lyall who was staring back at her with a cold expression.

Mary Margaret looked between the siblings in mounting confusion. "Well, what about Lyall?" She asked.

Emma frowned, "I mean-"

Lyall twisted around to look at Mary Margaret, fake smile stretched across his face. "We actually haven't been around one another for very long." Throat tight, he continued past the lump that had built up. "So while we're pretty comfortable with each other-" The lie was bitter on his tongue "-we still prefer our own places. Does that make sense?" He pulled out his phone and took in the time. "Hey, I'd love to continue talkin', but I gotta' pick up Ruby." He flashed a smile at Mary Margaret, putting his phone in his pocket while doing so. "See ya' later?"

Mary Margaret nodded in bemusement. "Uh, sure." She smiled gratefully, "Thank you for walking me this far, and for the bill." She turned her head to Emma, "And good luck with Henry."

Emma smiled tightly, "Thanks."

Mary Margaret meandered away, humming under breath. When Lyall finally met Emma's eyes, he fought back the urge to cry.

She was staring at him with a frown, eyebrows drawn to together. Her own eyes were unusually bright, but Lyall was more focused on the emotion in her gaze. Lyall knew he probably shouldn't judge what it was right then, he wasn't in the right mindset. But that traitorous voice in the back of his head, familiar and deceiving, was speaking.

 _'She's disappointed in you. Because you're a failure.'_ Lyall stiffened, eyes tracing over his sister's features. The line on her forehead, the hollowing of her cheeks. He swiftly turned his back on her, shoulders hunching involuntarily. When he heard Emma's car opening, he tried to speed up his pace.

"Lyall!" She yelled sharply.

Grinding his teeth, Lyall ignored the woman behind him. It wasn't until a hand landed on his shoulder that Lyall reacted. With a furious growl, Lyall twisted out of Emma's grip. "Please don' touch me. I have nothin' to say to 'ou."

Emma scowled at him, "What? So, Mary Margaret can humor him, and I can't?"

Lyall took a threatening step forward, shoving down the bubbling negative emotions swirling in his mind. "'Humor him'?" He asked incredulously. "You're not humoring him, Emma. You're using the idea that you're going to help him to be closer to him. To have an excuse to be here."

Emma gaped at him. "Excuse me?!" She spluttered.

Lyall narrowed his eyes, "It was a closed adoption. Regina may have something wrong with her, but until we arrived, he hasn't run away before. So, I've heard at least."

"And that gives you the right to lecture me?!" Emma seethed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Why the hell do I even care what you think?" She asked herself. She glared at him, "Not like your opinion matters."

Lyall grinded his teeth, "Why?" He asked venomously, "Because I'm insane? Crazies don' matter to 'ou?"

Emma rolled her eyes and turned around. Lyall pursed his lips, "I said I might not forgive you, Emma. Please don't hit that point. I've lost enough family."

Emma paused and then turned to face him. "Henry is my son-" She began.

Lyall swiftly cut in, "But he is Regia's as well. I hate what she did to him, but fighting will make it worse. Emma, listen-"

"-No, you listen." Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe you keep losing people because they get sick of your constant nagging and disappointed faces that they don't deserve. Maybe it's your fault!"

Lyall reared back as if he were struck. ' _That's not true._ ' He though desperately, _'I-I didn't cause John or Ellen to-'_

Too caught up in his thoughts, he missed the look of horror that filled Emma's features. Ducking his head to hide the way his eyes teared up, Lyall coughed to clear his throat. "I-I 'ave go." He stuttered out, cursing how his accent got thicker.

"Lyall-" He heard Emma start. Without giving her a chance to speak, Lyall took a shaking step back. All he could think about was Ellen, was Jo, was John-John who was like an Uncle to him; he could only see Sam collapsing with agony etched like stone on his face. Lyall's breath came out rapidly, and he moved hurriedly.

By the time he got to the diner, Lyall was forcing down a full panic attack. Lyall looked at the Diner with blurry vision, a chocked sob ripping threw his lips. The Diner door opened, making Lyall stagger back. Tears streak down his face with out his consent, visions of _his family dying_ , _over_ and _over_ and _ove_ r _andoverand **overandover-**_

"Lyall?"

His eyes snapped up, and he wondered when he had let them drop. Ruby stood in front of his, eyes wide in concern. Ruby tilted her head, "Lyall?" She asked again.

"I-I-I-" Lyall stuttered out. His breath came out fast and heavy, his head felt light, and already his vision was starting to darken. A hand landed on his arm; Lyall lurched away, swaying dangerously. Vision clearing for a moment, Lyall staggered into a nearby alley. He slid down the wall, head falling into his knees and arms coming over his head. He couldn't breathe, images flashed over his eyes on loop-Dean being ripped apart, Cass walking into the river, John smiling with Golden eyes, Bobby with a knife in gut-and then _it_ appeared.

Eyes widening in horror, Lyall struggled to gulp in air when the creature tilted its' head back, teeth sweeping over it's face, sepia tones washing over its' skin, the forest casting eerie shadows-

"LYALL!" A voice shouted in front of him. Wide, golden eyes peered worriedly into Lyall's blue ones, and all the air in his lungs escaped in a great, heaving gasp. It was Gabriel, but that couldn't be true.

The ash under foot was still burning hot, the crackling power of residual grace tickled his skin, Gabriel was dead, he was _dead_ because of them-

"Lyall focus on me!" Gabriel's voice rang true, and Lyall looked up, panic etched into every wrinkle of his face.

"What?" He rasped.

Gabriel grabbed one of Lyall's hands and moved it to his own chest. He flattened the appendage over his vessel's heart and took a deep breath. "Copy my movements okay? In," He breathed deep, "Out." There was a gust of air as Gabriel's breath washed over Lyall.

Eagerly, desperately, Lyall copied the movements, sucking in deep breaths when Gabriel did. As the panic faded from his mind and body, Lyall became aware of the presence hovering worriedly to the side. Swallowing, Lyall slowly met Ruby's eyes. Even think her name sent a wave of new panic threw his veins. But he pushed it aside-if he had to, he would call her Red. It was her name after all.

"I-" When his voice cracked, Lyall ducked his head. A bottle appeared in view, cradled by pale fingers polished with red paint. Lyall gratefully took the water, and swiftly reached up with shaking fingers to undo the cap. When it came undone, he raised it to his lips and start to drink. He did so slowly, knowing full well it would be unwise to drink so much. He pulled the bottle away and carefully set it on the ground.

Lyall reached up and rubbed at his face, aware of their worried gazes. Taking a final, steadying breath, Lyall looked up at the two. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean for that to happen."

Red tilted her head, "Lyall, are you going to be okay?"

Lyall smiled bitterly, "Uh, in a bit. Can we-" Lyall swallowed. "Red, I'm sorry, can-can we take another rain check?"

Red stared back at him before grinning brightly, "Consider yourself lucky, gorgeous. I don't usually take rain checks." She winked, "But I will for you."

Gabriel snickered, "Ohhhh, Rubs has a thing for you." He nudged Lyall meaningfully.

Laughing, Lyall gave the woman a grateful smile, "Thanks." Lyall slowly stood up, back aching painfully from the position he had been in. When neither of them said a word about his episode, Lyall felt his gratitude skyrocket. He knew they had questions, but they weren't pressing. "Can I, uh, Can I stay at your place?" He asked, directing the question to Gabriel.

Gabriel nodded, "Of course. I got a spare room and plenty of food."

Lyall smiled again, "Thank you." He turned to Ruby, "Do you need me to walk you back?" He asked. "It's the least I can-"

"No, no." Ruby cut him off, "It'll be fine. You don't need to apologize." She hesitated, and for a quick second, Lyall felt fear run threw his veins. He truly didn't want her pity. Then she smiled softly, "If you want to talk about anything or everything, you know where I'll be."

"Thanks." Lyall laughed. "I've been sayin' that a lot, 'aven't I?"

Ruby looked him up and down, "Well, it's nice coming from you." She wiggled her eyebrows, "If you what I mean."

Lyall flushed, embarrassment rearing its' ugly head. "Uh, I don' feel like being on the receivin' end of Mrs. Lucas' wrath." He admitted.

"Good idea." Ruby muttered. She started to walk backwards, raising her hand in goodbye. "How does two days from now at around 10:00 sound? I pick!"

"Deal!" Lyall called in response.

When she was finally out of sight and hearing, Gabriel spoke quietly, asking "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lyall swallowed, "Not really."

Gabriel gave him a meaningful look. "You said Leviathan, Lyall. That was one of the things you were muttering." Despite the way Lyall had gone pale, he continued, serious. "I know they were released, but this was different. You were there, weren't you?"

Lyall looked down, "Please," he found himself pleading, "I-I don't want to talk about it. Not, Not even Sam and Dean know the whole thing."

Gabriel nodded. "Okay."

Lyall cast him a look, "What about you? You wanna talk abou' it?" He was referring to his death of course.

Gabriel stared silently into the distance, eyes glazed. "No." He said finally.

Lyall sighed. "Then let's go. I was going to help Mary Margaret tomorrow."

Gabriel hummed, and together the two beings walked silently to the house they would be staying in. It had been a long, emotional day. And Lyall doubted he would be getting any sleep tonight.

 _ **{That was far more angsty then it was supposed to be. I think these next chapter will be angsty. I have a plan set up for the way I want this episode to go, so grab your tissues and blankets my friends. Let me know how I did this time. In total this was roughly 3909 words? Give or take. It was more than usual is what I'm saying. Suggestions and reviews please! I will hopefully, tentatively update again this coming week. But I have work to do over break now that I have the time.**_

 _ **NEXT TIME ON THE MAN AND THE WOLF:**_

 _ **Lyall meets David, Henry makes an offhand comment that has great impacts, Mary Margaret unknowingly hurts someone, angst, flash backs, angst, Emma is a bit of OOC witch to her brother but it's not on purpose, did I say angst?, and most importantly SAM AND DEAN INTERACTIONS; BONUS MEMORIES**_

 _ **Review, Follow, Favorite!}**_


	6. Chapter 6

**(Hey guys! Sorry, I know it has been awhile but while I am trying to write, I cannot make promises! This is my last summer and it will probably be busy! Lots of volunteer stuff. As explanations go, I had a complicated year. Some good, lots of bad. Got depressed, it's a boring story though. So, in light of S13 ending of SPN, I have a rough sketch for this story. Now, we left off with poor Lyall going through a nasty panic attack cause I accidently started bashing Emma. I didn't mean too honest! Either way, we pick up in the morning! So, uh, enjoy! AH! Before I forget! Flashbacks are non-linear!**

 **RHatch89, thank you for the compliment!)**

 **| Snow Falls Part Two |**

When Lyall awoke, it was to the shrill screaming of his phone blaring in his ear. He groaned, the noise muffled in his pillow while the sound of Led Zeppelin seemed to play on repeat. Blindly reaching for the offending technology, Lyall grimaced.

Despite the tightness of his skin, and the sore feeling around his eyes, Lyall brought the phone to his ear. "Hello." He muttered into the phone. His voice was scratchy, he idly realized.

"What the hell happened to you?" Bobby's gruff accented made him perk up, and he blinked in surprise.

"Bobby?" He croaked. He shifted his elbows underneath him and frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I could ask you that. In fact, I think I did, boy." Bobby replied sharply.

Lyall left out a soft sigh, placing the phone between his shoulder and ear and rolling off the bed. He landed with the grace of a cat, ironically enough. Standing, he padded over to his clothes, dropped half- hazardly across the floor. "Well, it's a long story."

"Make it shorter then." Bobby snarked.

Lyall snorted, "Emma is lying to Henry about her belief in the curse to get closer to him."

Bobby gave a confused hum, "But that ain't it, is it?" He asked knowingly.

"She's basically implied he's crazy." Lyall summed up. His voice was rough, and it hitched on the last word. Bobby clearly caught the change in his tone and pitch because he swiftly started talking.

"I'm sure whatever is goin' on between the two of ya will sort itself out." He comforted. Bobby then sighed. "On our en', the Levis made thin's complicated for the boys."

Lyall tugged on his pants over his underwear. "How so?"

"Well, they started to impersonate the boys. Now, they're runnin' 'round the country shotin' up banks and other places." Bobby informed.

Lyall gaped, stunned into silence. When the door opened, he glanced over to see Gabriel watching him in confusion. "I-shit. Uh, I think I got someone who knows what we're dealing with, and how to put 'em on hold."

"What? Who?" Bobby asked.

"Uh," Lyall fumbled, "Lemme just ask him." He looked at Gabriel, "Bobby wants to know who you are."

Gabriel sighed theatrically. "Very well."

"Yeah," Lyall said down the phone, walking towards the Archangel, "So, Gabriel isn't dead."

" _WHAT?_ " Bobby shouted.

"Apparently, he almost did die, but got zapped here, into Fairy Tale land just as the curse hit. So he says." Lyall replied.

Gabriel motioned down the hall and Lyall nodded. He stepped out the room and closed the door. "I'll ask him 'bout our chomper problem and see what he knows." Lyall told Bobby.

Bobby groaned, "Dean ain't going to be pleased that angel is there." The unspoken _He'll be pleased he's alive_ was there, but Lyall didn't call the grizzled hunter out on it, knowing Dean was still hurting.

"Eh," Lyall shrugged, stepping into the living room and stopping short. "He can…deal with it." His voice trailed awkwardly at the sight of the people in the room. "Uh, I uh, I'll call you back, Bobby."

"What is it?" Bobby demanded.

"Nothin', jus' my sister." Lyall replied, tone just a tad colder.

"I see. I'll call ya' back." Bobby replied, before hanging up.

Lyall tucked the phone into his pocket, moving his gaze to look over at Gabriel, "Ya' could 'ave warned me." He told him, suddenly uncomfortable in nothing but a pair of black, loose jeans.

"Where's the fun in that?" Gabriel practically chirped.

Lyall muttered something unfriendly under his breath before looking over at Emma, Henry and Mary-Margaret. "So, uh, wha' did ya' need?" He asked, meandering over to the kitchen to grab a banana.

"Well," Mary-Margaret started, unbothered by his lack of shirt. "Henry wanted me to read to a patient. We were hoping for your input."

Lyall furrowed his eyebrows, "Who is he?" He asked.

Henry bounded towards him, opening the thick book in his hands to an image of a blond man with a bleeding cut on his chin. "It's Prince Charming! Your dad!" Lyall stilled in shock, before leaning closer.

"Seriously? Wait, you said," Lyall started, turning to Mary-Margaret, "That he was a patient. What's wrong with 'im?"

Before Mary-Margaret could answer, Emma cut in, eyes trained on his scarred shoulder, "Where did you get that?" She asked breathlessly.

Lyall stiffened, "Doesn' matter." He replied coldly. He turned to Mary-Margaret, "Wha' wrong with 'im?" He asked again.

She shifted again, "He's uh, in a coma." Her voice got quieter at the end, clearly uncomfortable after Emma had butted in.

"Okay. So, coma patient is Prince Charming, and ya'll wanna do wha'? Read to 'im and 'opes he remembers?" Lyall questioned, moving his gaze to Henry.

"Hopefully." Henry affirmed, eyes trained on Lyall's face rather than his shoulder.

"When do ya'all plan on doin' this?" Lyall asked.

"Mary-Margaret is going to do it, tonight." Emma replied, eyes hard.

Lyall openly scowled at her, just the briefest flash of it, before his face settled back into a more pleasant mask. "Alright, and that's because you're…" His voice trailed, and his nose scrunched up as he tried to recall what Emma told him.

"Snow White." Mary-Margaret filled in, sounding sheepish.

"Oh." Lyall said softly, the realization of what that implied hitting him full force. He said nothing about it though, choosing instead to grin. "Well, well, Mary-Margaret, savin' the day."

She laughed, "I don't know about that. But it's a nice thought. I mean, I read the book a bit, so like I said," Mary-Margaret shrugged, "Nice thought." She glanced up at the ceiling, "I always did want a kid. Maybe one in the beginning though." She playfully winced. "Oof, twins. That would be-"

"-Awesome!" Gabriel cut in.

Lyall had already heard the implications though, and his face twitched. _She doesn't know. It was a joke,_ He reassured himself. _Was it?_ A traitorous thought murmured. 'Oh, stop it, you're acting way to dramatic.' Gabriel's voice snapped inside his head. Lyall shot a look to the Archangel, who gave him one back.

"Well," Lyall grinned, "Good Luck."

Mary-Margaret smiled brightly at him, "Thanks, though I'm not sure what will happen."

"He'll wake up! I know it!" Henry said, energized at the thought.

"You got a lot of faith, huh?" Gabriel asks, staring at him with a grin.

Henry looks at Gabriel as though it's the first time seeing him. "Uh, yeah. Er," Henry fumbles with the book and takes a small step forward, holding out his hand, "I'm Henry!"

Gabriel laughs and takes the hand, giving it a since shake. "Gabriel."

Henry raises an eyebrow, "Gabriel what?" He asks, genuinely curious.

Gabriel flashes a brief, slightly panicked look at Lyall, before blurting out: "Winchester. Gabriel Winchester."

Lyall, who had picked a water and was taking a small sip, choked. Coughing and raising an arm to cover his mouth, Lyall shot an annoyed looked at the Archangel. Of course he would take that name, though really, Lyall wasn't all to surprised.

"Lyall, are you okay?" Henry asked concerned.

"Hey." Lyall coughed, "It's just a rare name, and uh, my adopted family had that name."

"Not that rare." Gabriel pouted.

"Maybe." Lyall shrugged. "Anyway, I should get dressed for the day." An awkward silence filled the room. Lyall let out a groan and peaked over at the clock. It was almost three in the afternoon. With another groan, Lyall grumbled. "'Course I would sleep through the day."

"You sure you're okay?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"Uh, yeah." Lyall briefly glanced at Emma, "Long night." He finished.

Mary-Margaret nodded and then smiled. "Well I should get ready for my date." She walked away, out of Gabriel's house and down the street.

Emma sighed and motioned for Henry to follow her, "Come on kid, let's hang out for now."

Henry gave Lyall a brief unsure look, before smiling when his Uncle gave a slightly jerky nod. He bounded out of the house and Emma pursed her lips. "We need to talk later." She told her brother.

Lyall openly scowled, "No, we really don't."

"Look-" Emma began, but Lyall quickly cut in.

"No. We don't." His voice was firm, and Emma scowled in return before turning on her heel and storming out of the house.

"Well that was awkward." Gabriel said casually, drumming his fingers on the countertop.

"Yeah." Lyall replied, breathing out a heavy sigh. He gave the other being a quick, tired smile. "I'm going to finish getting dressed." Without waiting for a response, he hurried back down the hall. Even after a long rest, he couldn't stop remembering the sepia tones of the forest he was stuck in.

Shaking his head, Lyall's thoughts wondered to Castiel. Why wouldn't they with everything going on. Lyall owed the Angel his life, not unlike how Dean did. ' _Kinda interesting'_ , Lyall mused, ' _All three of us owe Castiel our lives_.'

Castiel saved Dean, saved Sam, and Castiel dragged Lyall out of his own limbo. "Limbo." Lyall snorted aloud. "If I hadn't known better I would have called it Hell."

 _Flashback:_

 _Lyall leaped over a fallen tree, paws hitting the dirt as twigs caught in his coat. They scrapped painfully on the skin underneath as Lyall ran. He panted, great heaving breaths that rattled his bones. He could hear them, snarling and growling._

 _It wasn't the usual creature. Rather, a pack of pissed off Werewolves that Lyall had helped kill. They growled, agitated. '_ Seriously _.' Lyall thought in a moment of mild insanity, '_ You kill someone once and suddenly it's all about revenge _.'_

 _Leaping over another tree, Lyall's mind wandered to Sam. It was routine by now. Run from the other monsters, kill if you must, think about Sam, grieve over Dean, rinse and repeat. Lyall had been unsurprised by Sam leaving after the fatal night they confronted Lilith for the first time. They had both buried their brother, unable to speak._

 _A week later, Lyall woke up alone in a hotel room. Three weeks after that and well, Lyall felt guilty Sam would be finding out he died from Bobby._

 _Or rather, Lyall thought he did. He had been hunting a Black Dog that turned out to be a trickster. Not Sam's trickster. Maybe if it was him, Lyall would have survived. This was a darker one. Lyall had barely moved when a silver spear had impaled him._

 _Lyall was taken out of from his thoughts when a figure appeared before him. He skidded to a stop, teeth bared at the group that appeared behind the man. They all glowed and smelled of ozone and something completely undefined. Before he could truly question just what they were, five disappeared, the image of glowing wings spreading from their back before the first being reached out for Lyall._

 _The Skinwalker stumbled back, alarmed and terrified. These beings were something new, and that chilled Lyall to the bone. By now, he had encountered every Supernatural creature he thought existed._

 _He was clearly mistaken._

 _"You must calm yourself, Lyall." The being intones, blue eyes bright. "I am here to return you to the Winchesters."_

 _Lyall didn't hesitate to transform. He panted, watching the being with wide eyes. "You-What?" He asked._

 _"I am Castiel." Castiel started, "I have the ability to return you to your mortal body, but we must hurry, we do not have much time."_

 _"What are you." Lyall demanded._

 _"We are Angels." Came the unexpected reply._

 _Lyall twisted around to see another_ Angel _-fuck an_ Angel _-watching him. The Angel smiled, "I am Samandriel, and Castiel is correct. The rest of the garrison is holding pack the Werewolves, but there are things far worse in Purgatory._

 _Lyall didn't even hesitate, "Yes there fucking is." He glanced at Castiel, "You said you can bring me back?"_

 _Castiel nodded._

 _"Oh, fuck it." Lyall breathed, "I'm already dead. Not like I won't come back if I die here again."_

 _Castiel grasped Lyall's scarred shoulder and there was a bright flash of light before Lyall's whole world went black._

 _Dean slowly chugged the beer down, refusing to meet his brother's eyes. Sam wrung his hands on the counter top, guilt on his features. The unwritten book titled 'Blood Moon' was spread across the tabletop. Bobby gave a heavy sigh._

 _"Boys, none of that-" He motioned to the papers "-was your fault." He glanced between the two, "You boys know tha', right?"_

 _"Bobby," Sam started quietly, "If I hadn't left-"_

 _"Then you both would be gone." Dean interrupted harshly. "Where would we be then, huh?"_

 _Sam dropped his gaze again._

 _Bobby shook his head and went to stand when there was a rush of wings and he cursed. The brothers stood, turning to look for the source. It was Zachariah, simpering smile on his face. "You owe us." Was all the Angel said, before there was a second rush of wings, and Castiel appeared._

 _The Angel had an arm on his shoulders, effortlessly baring the weight of a blond man who hung limp in his grasp. Zachariah looked at Castiel, "You can drop him now."_

 _There was the barest flicker of a frown before Castiel knelt and lowered the figure to the floor. He passed a hand over the right side of his chest, then nodded. "Any trace of silver has been destroyed." Castiel looked at the Winchesters, "Your friend will wake soon." Without a further comment, both Angels disappeared._

 _"What the hell was that?" Bobby exclaimed, rushing over to the man. He had no shirt, Dean realized. A fresh, pink, scar ran over the area above his heart._

 _Sam and Dean also moved forward, coming up behind Bobby just as the face of the man was revealed._

 _A second later, Lyall's eyes fluttered open to the sight of the three stunned men, one of which he was sure should be dead._

 _Flashback End:_

Hours later, Lyall watch bemused as Ruby lead him toward the Toll Bridge. "I figure it's a neutral spot, you know?" She said, stepping over a rock.

"I guess." Lyall laughed, "Though, when you said you picked the spot, I thought you meant the Rabbit Hole or something. Besides, you don't strike me as the type for a hiking trip only for a date."

Ruby shrugged, coming to a stop at the edge of the water. "Well, I was thinking something more tamed would be better, and hiking can be relaxing."

Lyall looked around with a smile, the Moon was out, shining down on them. He looked back at Ruby who had crouched down and pulled out a bright red blanket from her bag. He crouched next to her, pulling out large lamps from his duffle bag. They set up the small picnic and bring out the sandwiches.

Ruby looked around, "You know, I didn't really notice before, but these woods are so pretty."

Lyall bobbed his head back and forth in acknowledgment. "They are, but I mean, I've seen some pretty cool stuff."

Ruby leaned forward, eager to know more. "Have you travelled a lot? I want to go to Boston but Granny," she huffed, "Granny seems to think I'm gonna-"

"Sleep your way down the seaboard. Yeah, I heard." Lyall cut in, sardonic smile turning his lips.

Ruby frowned, picking at her jeans, "I don't know why, but we always argue and like, it feels wrong."

Lyall leaned back on his hands, "Family always argues, Red."

"Yeah but I bet you and Emma never said something like that to each other." Ruby shot back.

"That panic attack last night?" Lyall started, making her look back at him, "She caused it."

Ruby gaped, "What?" She exclaimed.

Lyall gave a half shrug, "She didn't mean to, just hit a trigger of mine." Lyall didn't mention what trigger, and Ruby didn't ask, just frowned.

"Did your adopted brothers ever say stuff like that?" She asked. Lyall didn't need her to clarify what she meant, instead he tilted his head, digging through the arguments he had with them.

"No, not what she said, but we've had some nasty arguments." Lyall replied.

"Like what? If you don't mind me asking." Ruby asked, suddenly looking intrigued but sheepish.

Lyall smirked, "It's okay, we have issues, but we've gotten over most arguments." He hummed, "Well, Sam uh, he ran away once, scared the shit out of Dean and I. He left for college-" Lyall looked at Ruby and quickly clarified, "John wanted him in the family business, paranoid guy he was, wanted Sam to be around so he could watch him." Lyall grinned, "Kinda' bipolar there, but that's a different story. Sam said a couple things that hurt Dean and me, but when we met up again later we hashed it out."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow, red lips pulling into an amused smirk, "Well, when you put it that way-" She cut herself off, eyes trained on something behind Lyall.

Lyall's nose twitched, picking up the smell of blood and wheat and the sterile stench that came from Hospitals. He turned, moving into a half-crouch half-sitting position to look at what caught Ruby's attention.

It was a man, blond it looked like, stumbling into the river in a gown only a hospital patient would wear. He looked confused, muttering under his breath in a fevered state. With his enhanced hearing-and how did he not hear the man coming-Lyall picked up the words he was murmuring. "Snow. Need to find Snow."

Lyall stood, purposely making as much noise as possible. The man staggered back, eyes snapping to look up at Lyall. Lyall himself froze, taking in the familiar eyes and facial shape. The same shade hair and similar height and build. It was like looking at someone who could be his Father, Lyall realized.

"Who-Who?" The man stuttered.

"Okay, man." Lyall soothed, raising his hands slowly, "Hey, it's okay."

The man took a few shaking steps forward, "Snow, do-do you know where she is?"

Lyall furrowed his eyebrows, shifting to shield Ruby when she stood. But the man saw her nonetheless and let out a shocked noise, "Red? Red, is that you?" He stumbled to her, but Lyall surged towards him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling his attention to Lyall.

The movement caused Lyall's necklace to free itself from its spot underneath his shirt, and it drew the man's attention. He looked back up at Lyall, blue eyes suddenly intense, "You-that necklace, that belongs to-"

"Hey, we can figure out everything later." Lyall interrupted, taking in the scar on the chin of the man and frowning. He looked back at the man, suspicion clawing at his thoughts. "Okay? You alright there, Charming?"

The man reeled a bit, "What? How do you know that name?"

 _Shit_ , Lyall thought _, of course Prince Charming would crash my date._ "We'll talk later, let's get you to a Doctor." He looked at Ruby, "Ruby, you know where to go from here? The Hospital must be around here. It can't be any farther than the car, right?"

She looked warily at the man who grasped almost desperately at Lyall's arms. Then she nodded, "We're way into the woods though, and it took us a few hours to hike here. It'll take a few more to get back to the Hospital."

Lyall groaned, "Damnit. Okay, we'll have to deal with it. Let's head back to my car." Hoisting an arm over his shoulders, Lyall pulled the man along. "Come on, we need to get you to Whale."

"No. No, no, no, I need to find Snow." Charming stuttered.

"Okay, okay, we'll find her, she'll be at the Hospital. I promise." Lyall soothed.

Charming stared at him, "You-you seem, familiar."

 _Lovely,_ Lyall thought sarcastically, _My Father has amnesia. Although, is it amnesia if he only saw me as a baby?_ Lyall furrowed his eyebrows at the thought but swiftly and mentally shrugged it off. He didn't have time to ponder his own worth to his Father. "Alright, let's go, we need to hurry." He glanced at Charming. "You don't seem like you've been out much, so I'm going to assume that's bad for your health."

Ruby looked worriedly at Charming, "Hey, do you know your name? Could you be able to tell us?"

Charming frowned, "Uhm, James? David? I-I can't think straight. Snow, I need to find Snow."

Ruby gnawed her lip in concern, "Okay, James. Can I call you James?"

James nodded once, a jerky movement that made Lyall tighten his grip on David. "Alright then Red, let's save the day." He flashed her a grin, which she returned shakily.

They had a time limit, judging by the way James' skin was slowly paling. And Lyall would be damned if he didn't save his own Father.

 ** _(IMPORTANT A/N PLEASE READ!)  
I MADE A POLL FOR THE SECOND INSTALLNENT OF LYALL SWAN'S STORY!  
The future story, The Man and The Monster, is following Lyall through part of season two into Season Three. The majority of S2 OUAT is going to be condensed and combined with S3 Neverland Arc. I am skipping through Cora, but I plan on a substitute, but shorter. This poll is about Lyall's future Love Interest. Originally it was going to be Ruby, but I am opening up the options. Primarily, Regina.  
All reasons will be listed in the poll. here is the link, please take the poll!_**

 ** _quiz/11038075/Love-Interest-for-Part-Two-The-Man-and-The-Monster-Sequel-to-TMATW Site of quiz is quotev . com remove spaces lol_**

 ** _Just remove the spaces!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter y'all! Please take the poll on Quotev! My account is The A'deo Legacy and the poll can be found under my OUAT tab. Sorry this has taken so long, I know I was going to update but well, I have an Original Work in the making, co-authored by DragonisPrime. School has also started, making writing more difficult. I finally finished this because I got sick :/**

 **Next chapter will include more Gabriel, Sam finally appears, and we now have the chemistry of Killian Jones and Lyall Swan-Winchester. Like I said, any real pairing is up in the air for the sequel except for extremely minor roles. I am sticking to RumBelle even though it would be a cute Beauty and The Beast moment, because they're imperative to the story. I am open to Wolf Pirate (Killian and Lyall) because Killian is very similar to Sam. So yes, Sam is an option for Emma, though I wouldn't mind sparing Neal from certain and stupid death.**

 **Go ahead and comment an idea pairing for Lyall and Emma, keep in mind it will be slow burned. Hey! If Regina isn't for Lyall, there's always SwanQueen.**

 **Now enjoy! Nine pages and 4216 words not including this AN. Answers to comments after this.**

 **To Arkinstone: Thank you for enjoying the story! As for how he will treat his parents, I think you'll just need to keep reading to find out!**

 **| Snow Falls Part Three |**

It had been hours since Ruby, Lyall, and John Doe had made their way to the car. They were nearing the area Lyall had parked when John stumbled, a groan spilling from chapped lips.

Lyall cursed to himself as the weight dragged him down, Ruby letting outing a startled yelp as well. John was unconscious now, and Lyall fought back the urge to slam his head into the bark of the nearest tree. Throughout the trek through the wood, it was becoming clear Charming's cursed past and real life were waging an ongoing war in his mind.

If that wasn't enough, the lack of proper nutrition was taking its toll on the man. Clearly the curse has ensured his physique remained intact, but Charming was too delirious to really know what he was doing. Halfway to the car, Charming became John Doe, losing all coherent talk and falling into a babbling mess of confusion.

He spoke of his wife, both cursed and real, with a tone that fluctuated. When speaking of Kathryn-his cursed wife-his tone was admiring and humbled. He clearly held great respect for her, but it didn't compare to his tone of adoration when he fell back into the Charming persona.

Ruby herself was starting to prove a problem. The more Charming spoke of Snow, the more Ruby would fade out, her movement stumbling and clumsy. At this point, Lyall was hoping-never praying, not after Cas-for something to come and interrupt him.

At this point, he would even tolerate Crowley showing his sulfuric face. Not really, Lyall reflected, because Lyall might just lunge for his throat-but details.

"Damnit." Lyall murmured. He gently pushed Ruby's arm and she dropped it, watching with worried eyes as Lyall lowered John onto the ground. Reaching for his neck, Lyall felt for a pulse. There, faint and weak, but still going. He had been worried when the steady _thumpthump_ started to fade from his hearing. "He's getting weaker. The sudden shock to his system will kill him if we don't hurry."

"So, what now?" Ruby asked, desperation tinging her tone. "He's too heavy."

Lyall steeled himself. "Wouldn't be the first time I had to carry someone." He flashed her a wry smile, "And Sammy is a hell of a lot bigger than this guy here." Lyall carefully scooped John onto his shoulders with a grunt of exertion.

"Lyall." Ruby interrupted.

He glanced at her. She was watching him intently, eyes narrowed and knowing her lip in worry. "Yeah?" He asked in a strained tone.

"Are you okay?" It was completely random for her, Lyall knew.

Despite this, he felt grateful someone called him out on his bullshit. As soon as he realized John Doe was Prince Charming, his Father, Lyall knew he would be in for some emotional breakdowns. Emma would as well, Lyall knew, but this was something Lyall had dreamed of for years. Emma did as well. But Lyall was used to ignoring it forever, whereas Emma eventually had an emotional breakdown that ended up in a lot of alcohol.

Swallowing, Lyall gave her another wry smile, "Always." He lied.

Without giving her a moment to respond, he heaved himself up the hill and to the car. Now that he was focusing on his surroundings again-Ruby behind him, her heart hammering away nervously, the snap of twigs underfoot, the chirping of birds-he could pinpoint something that didn't quite belong in the ambient noise. Voices, hurried and worried, coming closer.

Focusing on the words, he made out the familiar tone of Emma, Mary-Margaret and The Sheriff.

Lyall briefly let his eyes slip shut in relief, before opening them and moving faster. He saw them in the next minute, standing in a semi-circle as they undoubtedly tried to figure out where John Doe went. Now that he was out of the dense foliage, he could adequately make of the time. It seemed to be early, around five a.m. at the latest.

"Emma! Sheriff!" He called.

They both whipped around to look at him. Spotting the former coma patient slung over his shoulder, the Sheriff hurried forward.

"Get a gurney!" He yelled.

Lyall placed John Doe on the pavement, frowning. He felt a pulse, and with a jolt realized how much it had faded. He was weak now, too weak. It was-

Horror spilled into his soul. "He's fading!" He cried, starting chest compressions. Before he could provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Mary-Margaret collapsed next to, pinching his nose and breathing air into his lungs.

For a moment it seems like she was kissing him, and in the next moment John was gasping, coughing for air like he'd been drowning. Lyall frowned. CPR was effective, but suddenly springing back to life as he had was unheard of unless you believed in-

Oh, of course, Lyall thought as he sat back on his hunches, watching Charming-not David, that was Charming right there, all adoration and soppy smiles-look into Mary-Margaret's eyes. "You found me." He whispered before letting a breathless smile form on his lips.

His eyes were clear now, no confusion in them like before when Lyall and Ruby saw him or when they were trekking back to the car.

Lyall stood, drawing their attention. "How did you find him?" Mary-Margaret asked.

Lyall looked into Charming's eyes and could see recognition. Suddenly uncomfortable, he unconsciously fiddled with his pendant. "We didn't. He found us." He responded without thinking.

Mary-Margaret's eyes fell to his necklace. "That necklace." She murmured. "I've-" She shook her head. Looking back at Charming, she asked him, "Do you know your name, where you are?"

Ruby went to speak but stopped when Lyall laid a hand on her arm. She flashed him a confused look that Lyall ignored.

"I'm-" Charming started, before stopping and eying Mary-Margaret shrewdly. "Who are you?" He asked instead.

Mary-Margaret smiled, "My name is Mary-Margaret. I'm a teacher but I was there when your brain activity spiked-or I thought." She laughed nervously. "I'm more moral support for Sheriff Graham and Emma. They were looking for you."

Lyall watched horrible realization seep into Charming's eyes. The Prince swallowed, looking suspiciously at Lyall before prying at a different bit of information. "Emma?" He inquired.

Lyall's sister kneeled next to him. "That's me. But who are you?"

Charming shot a look around, his eyes finding something Lyall didn't notice at first. Lyall looked in that direction, not bothering to hide his irritated scowl when Regina locked eyes with him. She raised a challenging eyebrow at him in response, crossing her arms and turning to talk to a paramedic instead.

"I don't know." Charming answered quietly, eyes darting around nervously.

Emma blew a breath out of her nose. "Okay, okay." She said sounding overwhelmed. She went to touch Charming's arm, but the man lurched away, scuttling back until his back hit Lyall's knees. Oddly enough, Charming didn't seem bothered by the Skinwalker.

"Hey." Lyall soothed, bringing his hand down slowly to rest on Charming's shoulder. "Relax. Emma's my sister, she's good."

"Your sister." Charming realized bleakly. His world was clearly-clear for Lyall, who was familiar with the stories in Henry's book-crashing down on him, leading him to be overwhelmed and scared.

Perhaps it was the fact Charming saw him first, remembered him perhaps, that led to Lyall clutching Charming's arm and helping him into the ambulance. The man never released Lyall, and reluctantly, the paramedics allowed him into the ambulance.

Despite his hesitance to touch or speak to Emma or Mary-Margaret, Charming's eyes never once left the two women.

Ruby, who had fallen back during the chaos, was going to drive his car to the hospital. "Not a scratch." Lyall teased weakly.

She gave an amused smile in response. "Be careful, Lyall." She said, eyes flickering to Charming when he gave a small, strangled noise.

Lyall glanced at the man before looking back at her, "Don't worry 'bout me, Ruby. I've handled worse than a confused guy."

Ruby smiled, seemingly reassured. "Good luck." She walked towards Lyall's car, shoulders slightly slumped in what seemed like anxiety.

Lyall breathed a tired sigh and sat on the small outcropping in the ambulance. The paramedic was checking Charming's vitals, but said man was watching Lyall intently. He took in every curve and angle of Lyall's face, eyebrows furrowed.

"You-" Charming started quietly, ignoring the paramedic. "You said your name was…?"

"Lyall." The Skinwalker replied, "Lyall Swan, or Winchester, depends on who's asking."

"What do you mean?" Charming asked, flinching when the paramedic went to take a inject an IV.

Lyall load a calming hand on his shoulder, "Relax, he's going to inject an IV, to help you since you've been in a coma." Charming didn't relax, but let the man push the needle in. "As for my surname, Swan is what Emma uses. But that was the name she chose, I don't know why. Winchester is for-" Lyall paused, then smiled, "-It's the name of a family that took me in. It wasn't official. I was a street rat and they found me. We weren't always family of course, but we are now. Emma being my sister however, means that I took the name she has for official purposes. Lyall Cunning is kinda, uh, crappy."

Charming snorted. "I can see that." He hesitated, "You-you speak like you and your sister weren't always together." The Prince was fishing for information, and Lyall swallowed when he realized why. Charming had expected Lyall and Emma to stay together when they were sent away. That veil was being ripped of his eyes.

"Well foster care and orphanages don't tend to keep kids together, and that doesn't even take into account The Families they take in." He took in the grief seeping into Charming's eyes and found himself speaking again. "I can't speak for Emma, but my life wasn't so bad. You know? I mean, everyone has their ups and downs. But I got to be a part of a great family, in a way."

Charming tilted his head, "The…Winchesters, did you like the Mother and Father?" He sounded insecure.

"I-" Lyall heaved a sigh, "-Mary Winchester died not long after I was born, so I never knew her." Lyall titled his head, not noticing how Charming blinked at how similar the action was to his own tilt. "John was…complicated. When I was around he was an infrequent presence, and I get the feeling it'd been like that for a while." Lyall stopped there, leaving his Father-his _Father,_ wasn't that a shock-to gather himself.

Charming didn't get a chance to say anything, as the Ambulance came to an abrupt stop and the paramedics started to rush about. The doors were practically ripped open, behind them stood Whale. The doors to the hospital only feet behind him. The Doctor motioned the medics and suddenly the gurney was being unstrapped and lifted out.

Charming flashed a panicked look at Lyall, wanting to reach out. Lyall caught the twitching movement and hopped out of the ambulance, following the Doctors at a brisk pace that matched their own. He kept within reach of Charming, but never tore his eyes from Whale.

The Doctor looked worried. "How long has he been out there?"

Lyall did a quick math in his head before stopping to ask: "What time is it?"

Whale responded, "3:49 AM as of two minutes ago, so 3:51."

Lyall frowned, "At least three hours or more. I left to get Ruby at around 10:30, and we got to the Forest edge around 11:00. It took maybe an hour to get to the toll bridge. We were there until John Doe came stumbling in an hour later. So, we saw him around 1:00 AM. Our trek time was doubled cause we had to carry him back to my car because I didn't know where the Hospital was from there. So maybe, 3:15 we got him to an ambulance."

Whale, whom had been soaking up this knowledge, jumped on the pause and inquired: "Any injuries or incidents?"

"No injuries, I think." Lyall reflected, "But he finally passed out when we found the others. I started CPR and Mary-Margaret preformed mouth to mouth resuscitation." He looked at Charming, who was peering around in mild panic. "Guy sprung to life like it was magic."

Charming snapped his gaze to Lyall, wide-eyed. Lyall ignored this, turning to look back at Whale. They were at what he assumed was his room now. Whale pursed his lips. "We'll check him over and make sure everything is in order. Does he remember anything?"

Lyall thought about what he wanted to say, then sighed. "I don't think so. He called himself James or David. Kept switching between the two and-"

"Lyall!" Henry's voice floated down the room, and the skinwalker turned to peer at his approaching nephew.

"Henry, kid, why aren't you with your Mom, or Emma?" Lyall fretted. Stress was getting to him.

"Emma is my Mom. And Mom herself is out doing, uh, something." Henry replies, causing Lyall to sigh then shake his head. This wasn't the time to argue with him.

"Emma...is your mother?" Charming asks in quiet surprise.

Henry turns with wide eyes to face his Grandfather. Lyall swallows at that revelation, and sighs. He answers before Henry can, "It's kinda complicated but yes. I don't even know the whole story. To be frank, I wasn't uh, informed I had a nephew 'till he found Emma."

Charming swallows. "Oh."

Whale lets out an exhausted breath, undoubtedly stressed by the fiasco. "Right, Mr. Doe, let's get you back to your room."

Charming doesn't respond, nodding sullenly. Lyall watches as the man, his Father, is rolled back into the room. They move him from the gurney to his bed, reconnecting IVs and electrodes. The monitors start back up. Lyall can see that his brain wives and more active, and his heartbeat is higher than average. Lyall rubs his eyes, worried.

"So, that's your Dad." Henry says quietly. The child peers at his Uncle, "Does-does he remember?"

Lyall cocks his head to the side. "You know, it's strange." He muses for a moment, "I think he does."

"Really?" Henry asks in shock.

"Well, when he found us, he kept talking about 'Snow' but would slip back into what I assume was his cursed self, referring to a Kathryn. But the tone was never the same. And then when we got to the ambulance, Mary-Margaret performed CPR and suddenly, he didn't seem confused." Lyall explained.

"Well," Someone drawled behind the two. Male, deep and accented. "Now her Majesty won't be pleased about that, will see?"

Lyall turned sharply, moving in front of Henry. A man stands in front of the two, with deep black hair and ocean blue eyes. A faint shadow decorates his jawline, his lips pulled into a smirk. His arms are crossed, clad in a leather jacket. Lyall can instantly see one hand is a fake prosthetic made of black leather. The man is wearing dark jeans, and a red shirt underneath. He is shorter than Lyall, standing at 5'11" to Lyall's 6'3". The man has a necklace tucked into his shirt and he stands with an air of confidence.

"Who are you?" Lyall asks carefully.

"Killian Jones. But in the other place, well, Hook was what they called me." Killian replies smugly.

Henry pokes his head around Lyall to gape at Jones. "You remember?!"

"That is suspicious." Lyall notes.

Killian shrugged. "Long story short, I pissed her off and my curse is to have my memories but not be able to do anything I wished too."

"Like what?" Lyall questions cautiously.

Killian doesn't get a chance to reply as Emma, Mary-Margaret, and Sheriff Graham come in. Mary-Margaret looks into Charming's room fearfully, asking quickly: "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, he's being treated now." Lyall replies, sending a wary look at Jones. The man in question is now scowling at something that comes bustling through.

Lyall gets his unspoken question answer when a woman cries out. "David! David is that you?" She rushes past, knocking Jones into Lyall. The skinwalker grunts, grasping the man's shoulder to steady him. He then pushes him off. Jones briefly sends him a smirk, but both are distracted by Whale.

"Excuse me." The Doctor says, "Ma'am?"

"Oh my god." She breathes, staring in shock at the stunned and suddenly nervous looking Charming.

"Ma'am, you can't be here." Whale states firmly. "Please, go wait over there."

She reluctantly does so, eyes trained on Charming. "David." She murmurs.

Lyall refrains from cursing when he realizes that this is Kathryn, Charming wife in this cursed world. Mary-Margaret doesn't know this, instead asking quietly: "Who is that?"

It is Regina who answers, sauntering up behind them. Her lips are pulled into a frown, arms crossed at she looks at the group with triumph hidden in her eyes. "His wife."

 ** _Flashback:_**

 _Lyall sipped from the Hot Chocolate he had been given, feeling clear for the first time in a while. Sam, Dean and bobby were watching him intently, as though he would disappear if they looked away. Lyall didn't mind though, he had missed his pseudo-family. "So," He started, voice hoarse. The three jumped a bit, cause Lyall to scowl a bit, "So what have I missed? I assume a lot, cause, you know, Angels."_

 _Dean sighed, "Yeah, it's a long story."_

 _Lyall looked at him, drinking in the sight of his brother, safe and sound, away from ravenous Hellhounds. "Why don't you start with how the fuck you're alive."_

 _Dean actually looks embarrassed. "Uh, Castiel, he pulled my ass from the fire." He gives a bitter snort, "Literally."_

 _"Guess I owe him a bit more." Lyall murmurs to himself. He turns his attention to the others. "What else?"_

 _There is an uncomfortable pause. "Well," Bobby starts, eyeing the brothers. He suddenly bursts out: "Sam has been drinkin' demon's blood and these two had a brother!"_

 _"Bobby!" The two shout furiously while Lyall, who had been taking a sip from his drink, chokes on the beverage. He drops the mug, letting the empty cup clatter on the floor as he coughs. Bracing himself on the chair when his eyes water, Lyall ignores the fretting hands of Bobby._

 _"You-" He starts in a splutter, "You've been doing_ what _?!" It is a furious bark that he directs to Sam, who hangs his head in guilt. He then looks at them both, "You have a brother?" This is said a bit quieter, a sudden yet familiar insecurity rising in the depths of his mind._

 _"Had." Dean corrects sharply, and without realizing it, Lyall flinches. Dean immediately softens, looking at his brother worriedly. "You okay?"_

 _Lyall bends down and grasps the cup he dropped, avoiding eye contact with Sam and Dean. "Yeah, just, uh, it's nothing." He sends a look to Sam, "We'll continue this when I clean this up."_

 _Bobby frowns, "There ain't no need for that', boy."_

 _"Double Negative, Bobby." Lyall snarks, "Which means there is a need for it."_

 _Lyall laughs as he walks to the kitchen, Bobby's furious spluttering echoing behind him._

 ** _Flashback end:_**

Lyall purses his lips, watching Kathryn and Charming talk. Emma, Regina, Henry, Mary-Margaret, Jones and Lyall all watch on from outside the room. Regina is a bit smug, at least Lyall sees. Jones, judging by his annoyed frown, can tell as well. Emma is scowling at Regina and Henry looks disheartened.

Regina turns to face them, smiling wider. "His name is David Nolan. And that's his wife, Kathryn. And the joy on her face, well," She pauses and looks directly at Emma and Henry, "It's put me in quite the forgiving mood." She rounds on Henry, who flinches back ever so slightly. "We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means?" Henry shook his head, "It means you're grounded."

Henry is grabbed by Regina, the two making there way over to the door when Regina pauses to talk to someone, and Henry hovers, eyes darting back to Charming.

At that moment, Kathryn exits David's room. Her arms are crossed, and her eyes are red-rimmed. Lyall feels a flash of anger towards Regina, knowing full well her action was causing pain to everyone. Kathryn sighs, then speaks. "Thank you." She begins, "Thank you for finding David."

Mary-Margaret frowned, "Um, I-I don't understand." Lyall watches his amnesic Mother wring her hands together. "You didn't… You didn't know that he was here in a coma?" She sounds incredulous.

Kathryn sighed. "A few years ago, David and I were not getting along." She shrugs sadly, "It was my fault, I know that now. I was difficult and unsupportive." Her eyes move to look at the group, grief swirling in her eyes. "I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave. And he did. And I didn't stop him. It was the worst mistake I ever made."

Emma glances into the room, then turns back to Kathryn. "You didn't go look for him?" She asks.

Kathryn shrugged, this time looking upset and a tad confused. "I assumed he'd left town all this time. And now I know why I never heard from him." She breathes in deeply. "Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever – say I'm sorry. Now we get a second chance."

Lyall cuts in, "Do you think that's a good idea?" At her startled look, he explains, "I mean, he's amnesic, and when he does get his memory back, it will end with that argument. Besides," He glances into the room, "During this time, in order to get that second chance, he'd need to develop those same feelings." Lyall gently grasps her shoulder, "It's like you're meeting him for the first time. You need to understand that."

Kathryn seems to mull that over, then nods slowly. "I suppose you're right, I guess sorry will have to do for now." She sounds upset, eyes glazed over.

Mary-Margaret smiles, but it seems forced. "I hope everything works out well."

Whale enters approaches then, seemingly noticing the lull in conversation. "Well," He starts, breathing in and then shaking his head in disbelief. "It's something of a miracle."

Kathryn smiled hopefully, "He's okay?"

Whale gives her a small, hesitant smile, "Ah, physically, he's on the mend, um, his memory is another issue." He looks at his patient. "It may take time, if at all."

Mary-Margaret frowns. "What brought him back?"

Whale looks baffled as he answers. "That's the thing." He starts, looking between everyone. "There's no explanation. Something just clicked in him."

Emma and Jones speak at the same time, startling the group. "He just got up and decided to go for a stroll?"

Emma snaps her head around, narrowing her eyes at Jones. "Who the hell are you?"

Jones frowns, "I'm his emergency contact. Well one of them, I volunteered for it. Any unidentified patient requires two contacts in this Hospital, I'm one."

Whale interrupted, deciding to answer their question. "He woke up and he was delirious, and his first instinct was to go find something, I guess." The Doctor shrugs.

"Someone." Henry corrects. Lyall starts, glancing at him to see the boy had moved away from a still busy Regina to listen in on the conversation.

Biting her lip, Kathryn looks imploringly at Whale, "Can I see him?" She asks hopefully.

"Oh." Whale blinks, then smiles, "Yeah, of course."

Whale leads the beaming woman back into Charming's room, who doesn't look so panicked anymore. The Prince smiles a bit when Kathryn leans in to hug him, though his eyes remain trained on Mary-Margaret's own.

"Henry, let's go!" Regina says sharply, having finished her own business. Her eyes flicker over to Jones, who smiles mockingly at the woman. Her scowl is thunderous.

"Wait!" Henry replies, "My backpack!" He grabs his bag but pauses to look at Mary-Margaret. "Don't believe them." He starts. "You're the one he was looking for."

Mary-Margaret sighs sadly, "Henry…"

Henry shakes his head at her tone, before looking her straight in the eyes. "He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story."

"Henry," Mary-Margaret begins, "He was going there because it's the last thing I read to him."

"No," Henry denies, glancing for confirmation from Lyall. When he sees the slightest incline of his Uncle's head, he continues, "It's because you belong together. I think he remembers you."

"Henry." Regina cuts in, gently grabbing his shoulder. Her eyes haven't left Jones' eyes since she saw him. Henry glances at her, then flashes a bright smile at the remaining group. The two leave then, and after a minute of silence, Emma abruptly moves to follow them.

Mary-Margaret is staring at Charming, who glances up from his conversation with Kathryn to flash her a grinning smile. A moment later, she turns and walks quietly away. Lyall sighs, "Mary-Margaret." He says, following her. Behind him is the quiet steps of Jones.

"No, Lyall." Her tone is sharp, probably not intended to be so, but Lyall stops cold, the familiar drunken voice of Amelia Cunning echoing in his mind. Lyall swallows and watches his Mother walk away from him, never once looking back at Lyall.

Jones comes to a stop next to Lyall, glancing at him. "So," The man begins, "Who exactly are you?"


	8. Chapter 8

**| The Price of Gold Part One |**

 _Lyall felt numb. There was no anger, no grief, just a numb buzzing in his mind as he stared blankly at the limp body of Sam. Sammy, who had been one of the best brothers Lyall had. He stood up for him, protected him, he did_ everything _for Lyall. There was no ache in his chest, just that consistent numbing void left when Sam had died._

 _Dean was shaking as he looked at Sam's limp body. Bobby had left, looking with grief filled eyes at the two men. Lyall lay on the bed next to Sam, nose placed next to his neck. 'Stop it!' Lyall could imagine Sam crying out with a laugh. It started to swallow him, a slow creeping wave of emotions that were overcoming that numb void. His throat clogged, his eyes were suddenly wet, and he was shaking. A whine tore his throat and he gently nuzzled Sam, as though to say: 'Wake up, please.'_

 _"You know," Dean murmured suddenly, "when we were little – and you couldn't been more than five, you just started asking questions." Dean gave a bitter, small smile, the sight tugging at Lyall's heart in a wave of agony. Dean gave a small shake of his head, "'How come we didn't have a mom?' 'Why do we always have to move around?'" Dean blinked and when he spoke again his voice cracked. "'Where'd dad go?'" He swallowed, "You know, when he'd take off for days at a time."_

 _Lyall focused on Sam, unwilling to watch his eldest brother's soul shatter. He heard Dean take another shaky breath. "I remember I begged you – 'Quit asking, Sammy. Man, you don't wanna know.'" Dean stopped speaking for a moment. Lyall raised his eyes, the fur underneath them damp. Dean's own eyes peered back at him, filled with tears. "I just want you to be a kid, just for a little while longer." The crack in his voice made Lyall want to walk over to him, yet Lyall himself found he couldn't bare to part with Sam._

 _Dean swallowed again. "I just wanted to protect you... Keep you safe... Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was just always my responsibility, you know? It's like I had one job... I had one job..." Dean abruptly leaned forward, speaking again as his voice once again cracked with grief. "And I screwed it up." He shook his head bitterly. "I blew it." The tears started to fall then, slipping down his face as Dean finally and completely broke. "And for that, I'm sorry." Dean blinked and reached up to swipe the tears from his face, heartbroken._

 _His chuckle was self-deprecating, "I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love." Lyall let out a whine of protest, but Dean shook his head. "I let Dad down. And I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too." Dean shook, tears rapidly falling, "I'm gonna end up letting Lyall down soon, I jus' know it." He shook his head. "How can I?" He asked brokenly. "How am I supposed to live with that?" Dean's lip trembled in anguish, "What am I supposed to do?" He looked away and then back, "Sammy." His voice cracked again. "God." There was a new tone to his whisper, one of anger. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked again, waiting for an answer that wouldn't come. Dean inhaled sharply and stood, "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" He bellowed, kicking out at the bed and sending Lyall toppling from the cot._

 _Lyall looked with wide, fearful eyes at the stunned Dean, who was looking at Lyall in muted horror. Dean stumbled back, shaking his head as he blindly snatched his keys from next to the chicken. Lyall stood, shifting forms and reaching for Dean. "Dean, please."_

 _The crack of fear and grief made Dean look at him with wide eyes. "I'm going to fix this. I promise you."_

 _Lyall felt terror sear through his soul. "No, Dean, please!"_

 _Dean was out of the small house before the final plea left Lyall's lips._

 _Flashback End:_

Lyall tapped his foot impatiently, chin under his hand and eyes trained on the front door. Gabriel had sworn he would talk with Whale to get visitation rights to John Doe – to Charming. It was clear to both Lyall, Gabriel and Killian Jones the man remembered his cursed life.

Lyall narrowed his eyes and stilled his tapping foot. Killian Jones. Jones had told him who he was in the other Realm, and well, a Pirate was someone Lyall may need to be worried about. Lyall, however, read between the lines of Jones' nonchalant answer. Jones would stay out of Lyall's way if Lyall stayed out of his. There was an implicit offer of aid there, a scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Lyall pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, then rubbed his eyes. With Mary-Margaret suddenly distant and upset, Emma tense and nervous, no doubt sensing how awkward Charming was being around her, Lyall was starting to feel the knots of stress in his shoulders; Charming was rather awkward around Lyall as well, which was why he wanted to visit the man. Charming didn't know that Lyall knew of the curse. Heaving another groan, Lyall debated stretching some unused muscles. He pushed himself off the couch and walked to the front door, locking it with a simple twist of his wrist. Lyall walked around and closed the blinds, unwilling to let anyone see what he was doing.

Lyall approached the spacious living room, shucking off his shirt and stepping out of his shoes. He then removed his pants and boxers; there was no awkwardness to it anymore, after spending the majority of his life this way. The only thing he didn't remove was the wolf pendant draped around his neck. Then, Lyall rolled his shoulders and let the transformation occur.

The wolf was always under his skin, ready to be unleashed, to run free. There was an unpleasant cracking noise as Lyall's bones shifted and snapped. It was a dull pain after so many years transforming, and the speed of which was now a blur. In a few seconds, Lyall's form had drastically changed. Where he was once human, Lyall's canine form was surprising.

He wasn't a wolf or dog, more a large cross breed. In fact, after much research – and some discussion with Cass (Lyall pushed down the grief that rose up) - the closest breed Lyall and his brothers could think of was a Dire wolf crossed with a German Shephard. His size was that of a Dire Wolf; three feet at the shoulder and five feet long. He had a long-haired coat, with a black and brown face. His coat was primarily black on the back with darker browns on the underside. He had a deep chest like a German Shepherd and the same tail length and ear shape. His eyes were a strange mix of golden flecks imbedded in blue irises. The wolf pendant had become a part of his coat, unlike his clothes – which would have been torn – it was now a distinct marking. The cord had become a thick circular marking around his neck, and the wooden wolf was now a visible light brown mark in the center of his chest.

Shaking his fur out, Lyall's mouth opened in a yawn, tongue lolling as he stretched. Huffing to himself, Lyall took in his surroundings with new eyes. His nose twitched as the scents became much more prominent. Lyall sneezed. The ozone and sweet scent that was Gabriel was almost overpowering.

Lyall padded across the room, simply enjoying the feel of the wooden panels on the pads of his feet. In this form, the house was much larger, though to be fair, he was shorter. On all fours of course. Going on his hind legs he was much larger.

Lyall turned away and trotted to the couch. It was, he hoped, big enough to fit him. Lyall placed his front legs on the couch and then hauled himself up onto the furniture. It creaked a bit, too quiet for normal ears, then settled. That settles it, no jumping. Draping himself across the length, his head perched on the arm, Lyall let his mind wander. As a canine, he still had the same intelligence he already did, but emotions were…simpler.

Now Lyall could analyze what was going on without sending himself off the deep end. He could tell Emma wasn't trying to do any harm when it came to Henry. It still unsettled Lyall, but really, what could he do?

Mary-Margaret was probably upset by Katherine's appearance, and her old life was influencing her now. Lyall shouldn't be taking offense, besides, she didn't know who Lyall was.

The skinwalker closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He was tired. Sam called early this morning, asking for the coordinates Lyall gave Dean. Lyall was at first, confused. Then Sam explained what happened with Amy: a creature Dean killed without telling Sam. Lyall refused to take any sides on this issue.

Huffing out another breath, Lyall closed his eyes, deciding to simply doze. Dreaming occurred less often in this form, and he would need the rest for when Sam arrived; no doubt he would be as moody and angry as he usually was after such arguments with Dean. Lyall could tell something else was going on, no doubt his time in the Cage affected him on such a large psychological level, he was having troubles trying to cope.

Unwilling to let his thoughts wander so close to sensitive topics, ones that overpowered the simple emotions he felt in this form, Lyall let his body grow heavy, let his eyes slip shut, and leaned his head on his paws. The world dimmed, and his mind drifted.

Emma sighed quietly, sitting stiffly in her chair at the dinner. She was exhausted. Between trying to find John Doe, dealing with Regina, and attempting to get some time with Henry, she was wearing thin. Not to mention Lyall was upset, and Jones was setting off all kinds of alarm bells. She almost snorted at Regina's vague description. Just some guy who worked at the docks her ass. Humming to herself, she looked up with a half-smile as Ruby gently placed some Hot Cocoa in front of her.

"Thank you." She said, nodding to Ruby. She smiled to herself, reaching down a dipping her finger into the large mound of whip cream. Her smile widened just a little after she licked it off, and she looked down at the newspaper in front of her. The bell overhead rang, and an unfortunately familiar voice made her look up in confusion, unaware of an old car pulling into the parking lot outside.

"How was your walk with Henry?" Regina asked with a false grin. At Emma's vaguely annoyed look, Regina sat herself across Emma, false smile tightening to the point it seemed her face would split. That's right – I know everything." She sighed, then shrugged, looking almost smug now. "But relax. I don't mind."

Emma couldn't help the way her eyebrows rose in disbelief. "You don't?"

"No." Regina responded flatly, ignoring the stranger that walked in. "Because you no longer worry me, Miss Swan." The stranger, whom both Emma and Regina were ignoring – though the other patrons most certainly did not, choosing to stare in surprise at the large figure – turned around at the name, watching in confusion as Regina shifted forward and smirked at Emma's skeptical expression. "You see, I did a little digging into who you are." Emma's look shifted in offense as she dropped her once propped arm to start glaring at Regina. "And what I found out was quite…soothing. It all comes down to the number seven."

"Seven?" Emma asked suspiciously.

Regina smirked. "It's the number of addresses you've had in the last decade." The Mayor ignored the way Emma twisted her lips. "Your longest in anywhere was two years. Really, what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?"

Emma smiled coldly, whether it was aimed at Regina or herself was the question. She looked down at her newspaper, picking it up and retorting lightly. "If you were wondering, I did find a place here in town."

"I know. With Miss Blanchard. How long is your lease?" She all but crooned. "Oh, wait. You don't have one." Her lips curled darkly, but before she could continue, the stranger from before spoke.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but how is that your business?" He asked, eyes pinning Regina down. Murmurs rose up at his words, and wary glances were traded around the room. But Emma took in his height, the way of dress and the facial features and found herself stunned. She'd seen this man before.

Regina scowled, "Who the hell are you?" She demanded.

Emma couldn't help the smug smirk that crawled up her lips. "That's Sam." She replied, flashing a smile when he glanced at her. "Lyall's brother."

Regina swiveled in her seat to gape at Emma. "What?" She breathed.

"Adopted technically." Sam replied loftily.

Regina scowled and turned to Emma, "Either way I know you won't be here long. Two years in Tallahassee, Ms. Swan." She cocked her head to the side and smiled mockingly. "Tell me, what did you enjoy about it so much?"

"I think that's enough, Ma'am." Sam cut in, causing Regina to scowl and stand once again.

Regina shot an annoyed look at Sam, before focusing on Emma once again. "My point being, Miss. Swan, that in order for something to grow, it needs roots." She stared Emma in the eyes, voice callous. "And _you_ don't have any." Regina's lips started to curl into a smirk. "People don't change, they only fool themselves into thinking they can."

Emma slowly shook her head. "You don't know me."

"No, I think I do." She leaned forward, placing a manicured hand on the table and ignoring the incredulous look Sam was giving her. "All I ask is, as you carry on your transient life, you think of Henry and-"

Sam scoffed, and roughly pulled out the chair, forcing Regina to back and glower at him. "That's enough, Miss. Mills." At her confused look, Sam continued almost mockingly. "Yeah, Lyall told me all about you. Not hard to figure out who the-" Sam briefly glanced around, as though checking for something. "-haughty bitch in a pantsuit is when you've gone ahead and blared it out on a neon sign."

A stunned silence filled the room as Sam plopped onto the chair and fixed Regina with what Emma assumed was the patented bitch-face Lyall would tell her about. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd very much like to get to know Lyall's sister." The finality of Sam's words had Regina fuming.

"Consider a clean break. Both you and your brother." Regina sent a stony look to Sam, "after all, he's never even had a home, has he?"

Both Emma and Sam were furious at the jab, and as Regina walked out of the dinner, leaving tense silence in her wake, Emma gnawed her lower lip for a second – long enough for Regina to exit the dinner – then stood abruptly. Her cocoa spill on her shirt, causing her to groan in frustration. "Oh really." She muttered angrily. She grasped the cup in her hands, setting it on the table as Ruby rushed over.

"Eesh." Ruby murmured, handing Emma a towel to wipe her shirt. "There's a laundry room in the back." Ruby continued, before she brightened up. "Oh uh, I've got Lyall's keys, if either you wanna give it to 'im."

"I have a spare shirt you can use, Emma." Sam interjected hesitantly.

Emma gave the two of them a small smile. "Thank you. And, if it isn't too much trouble, that'd be great." She directed this statement to Sam, who shook his head with a small grin – a far cry from the cold and hostile look that took over his features around Regina.

Sam dug out a flannel and passed it over. "Probably too big but better than nothing."

Emma once again nodded her thanks, hurrying into the back. Once she disappeared from sight, Sam shifted awkwardly when the patrons gazed at him. Ruby, noticing his state of unease, level a stern look at the dinner. "Alright, back to our daily schedule guys!" She called.

Sam smiled thankfully. "Thanks, not really used to so much attention."

Ruby shrugged, "Well we don't normally get visitors, so we're curious."

Sam's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "Yeah, Lyall mentioned that." He paused. "Do you…know where he is? We were going to meet here in the dinner, I think."

Ruby slowly shook her head, brushing a lock of hair from her face and adjusting her top – she was wearing it normally, though she was unsure why. "He's probably at Gabriel's place, resting maybe. It was long night, kinda dramatic."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, John Doe – sorry, David – he came stumbling out the forest while Lyall and I were on a midnight date." Ruby replied, making Sam's eyes light up in understanding.

"So you're Ruby then?" He inquired.

Ruby beamed. "Glad to know I've been mentioned to the family," She joked.

Sam chuckled, gathering his stuff up and gently placing it upon the tabletop. "Well once Emma comes out, I'm planning on heading over. You said you had his car keys?"

Ruby nodded, "Let me get it."

As she sauntered over to the counter, Emma came storming out, face thunderous. Sam winced a bit at her state, wondering what put her in a fouler mood. "You good?" He asked hesitantly.

Emma sighed harshly. "No, but I will be." She dug into her pockets and pulled out some cash, placing it on the table next to her newspaper. As Ruby approached the two with the keys, Emma glanced at Sam. "Are you going to see Lyall?"

"Uh yeah." Sam stood. "I was maybe hoping you could show me the way?"

Emma slowly tilted her head from side to side. "Mmm, yeah. Gabriel gave me the address after the whole John Doe thing, and I did drive Lyall back when we were done at the hospital." She nodded, "Yeah I can take you, I've been meaning to talk to him."

Sam grinned. "Oh, he won't know _what_ to do." The laughter in his voice had Emma grinning.

Ruby herself look amused. No, Lyall wouldn't know what to do with his siblings.

 _ **I have, honestly, no excuse for being late. It's been some months since an update, September if I'm right. This is a bit shorter than other chapters, around six pages. But! Sam has finally appeared. This episode will be several chapters, seeing as the scene above happened seven minutes into the episode on Netflix.**_

 _ **Now, reviews.**_

 _ **64**_ _ **th**_ _ **VanSull: I will do as my reader command, lol. The poll is on Quotev, and while most likely I will stick with Lyall and Ruby, I'd also like to know other pairings. This story will be canon divergent and eventually AU vaguely based on Canon. So. You know, as much I adore CaptainSwan, the story probably writes itself.**_

 _ **Tpowe 15: Thank you for enjoying it!**_

 _ **Newest Reader: Well uh, ahem. I updated? Lol, sorry it took so long.**_

 _ **But! My dear readers, I have written you a chapter, when I update again, I'm not entirely sure. I won't make a promise I cannot keep, so, this in mind, know this isn't abandoned. I just have troubles sticking to a schedule and end up writing sporadically. But keep hope!**_

 _ **See you next update-**_


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